


Episode 1: Virus 2785X

by FandomsMJ



Series: The Enduring Adventures of Jonny Quest [1]
Category: Jonny Quest, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Genre: Angst, Lots of Angst, Multi, and banter among friends, and comfort, fighting past demons, kids taking after their father (both of them), tw death, tw illness, what happened to Jonny's mother?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomsMJ/pseuds/FandomsMJ
Summary: Benton Quest should have known this day would come. Mistakes of the past always had a way of coming back. He should have known, should have been prepared. Instead he'd tried to bury it in the past, and now Race might pay for his mistake.
Relationships: Benton Quest & Race Bannon friendship, Race Bannon & Phil Corvin friendship, slight Race Bannon/Jezebel Jade, very faint hints of Jonny Quest/Jessie Bannon
Series: The Enduring Adventures of Jonny Quest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808566
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, at long last, Episode 1 of my JQ series. I cannot say when Ep 2 will be ready, but please know I am working on it as well as Ep 3. While I work on future episodes I would appreciate some feedback on the series. So please, let me know what you think of Ep 1!  
> In the meantime, you can follow the series progress at theenduringadventuresjq on Tumblr!

The sun was making a rare appearance on the coast of Maine, not blocked by any of the clouds for once. The ocean sparkled with its light as it lapped against the shore and rocks beneath the cliff over looking it. The floor-to-ceiling windows gave Phil Corvin a perfect view of this, and he couldn't help but think a walk along the shore would be great right about now. Business before pleasure however, he couldn't leave this meeting. Joke was on him though, he never had time to go outside anymore unless it was for business reasons. 

He turned his attention back to the large conference table he was sitting at. It filled the center of the room nicely, leaving plenty of breathing room on the sides. Though, it was perhaps a bit overkill for a meeting with only three people. Still, this was where business meetings at the Quest Compound took place, so here is where the trio were. Or rather, would be, they were still waiting for the final member. 

Phil glanced at the tall, ginger-haired man sitting at the head of the table. If he was concerned, he didn't show it. Perhaps Corvin should have been a little stiff, in a meeting with the world-renowned scientist Dr. Benton Quest - a man whose very presence commanded respect - but he was actually more relaxed than he had been in quite a few meetings. Dr. Quest, despite his position, was still a friend. 

The corner of Phil's mouth quirked up in a grin as he said, "My money's on Jessie." 

Dr. Quest quirked a brow at that. After a moment of thought he replied, "Jonny." 

Race Bannon was a good agent, it wasn't like him to be late. He was also a father however, both to his daughter, Jessie, and Dr. Quest's sons, Jonny and Hadji. If he was late, then odds were one of the kids had delayed him. The door opened and a few moments later Race stumbled in, catching himself on the door frame. 

Before either man could ask if he was alright, the reason he'd tripped made itself known as yapping filled the room. Race shook his head, looking down, "Bandit, out." 

The miniature bulldog yapped in defiance to the order. Phil couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Bandit continue to bark up at the tall, white-haired man that could have easily punted him across the room if he'd had a crueler nature. 

"Out." This time Race's order was accompanied by a gentle nudge towards the door. Bandit probably still wouldn't have listened but a younger voice from down the hall called his name and he bolted towards it. Race sighed, shaking his head as he shut the door. 

"Run into traffic on the way, Race?" Dr. Quest asked, amused grin not hid in the slightest by his beard. 

"That son of yours," Race muttered, the hint of an amused grin betraying his words. 

"Darn," Corvin muttered quietly, ignoring the brief look of triumph that crossed Quest's face. 

Race grabbed the back of a chair with a little more force than necessary. Phil looked up at him as he shook his head slightly before sitting down. Was he upset about something? Unlikely, Bannon was one of the most laid back guys he knew. Though... it was possible this meeting was interrupting some plan he'd had with the kids and interrupting family time was one of the things that did irritate him. It wouldn't be the first time Phil had been guilty of that. Unfortunately, it also wasn't going to be the last. 

"Must be an important case if you came to brief us in person," Race commented. 

"What? Wouldn't believe I just fancied paying the Quest Team a visit?" Corvin replied. 

"Have time to get away from the office and you visit us instead of your wife? I wonder what Emma would think about that," Race grinned in response. Well, if he was in a joking mood then he certainly wasn't as upset and Phil originally thought. 

"She would _murder_ me." They both laughed at that for a moment before his grin faded. "You're right Race, this is pretty big." Cobalt blue eyes lowered to his tablet as he pulled up the image. He turned the tablet towards his companions, "Recognize these two?" 

In the photo were two young women - couldn't have been older than twenty - with shoulder length black hair. They might have looked like clones if one wasn't an inch taller than the other. It was too easy to see their father in their glittering green eyes.

"Doctor Zin's daughters," Quest frowned. The way he and Race tensed told Phil all he needed to know. They didn't just know who the girls were, they'd run into them a time or two. 

"Weren't they taken into custody when Mr. Henry ratted them out?" Race asked. 

"Yes. However, Zin had his fingers in a lot of pies. It was only a matter of time before they got out," Corvin explained. "Now it appears they've finally resurrected his operations... and maybe plan to go farther than that." 

"What do you mean?" Dr. Quest asked. 

"Have you ever heard of the Teonuhe Civilization?" He turned his tablet back towards himself to pull up the next picture as Race leaned back in his chair in thought. Something was nagging at the back of Phil's mind, telling him something wasn't right. He didn't have time to think about it though as he struggled to pull up the picture. Experienced as he was using tablets; they were still finicky. And everyone wondered why he preferred 'old fashioned' methods. 

"The Teonuhe are a recently discovered ancient civilization found in parts of East Asia. So far archaeologists haven't discovered much about how they lived, or even how they died," Dr. Quest replied after a moment. Given how the man was a leading scientist in many fields and had interests in many more - including archaeology - Phil wasn't surprised he'd known. 

"A new temple, the Temple of Tuwo, was discovered a few weeks ago." Once again the tablet was turned towards them. The image was of an ancient stone staircase leading into a tunnel at the base of a mountain that had been hidden from the world for centuries. The mark of a Teonuhen temple. "An archaeologist team was studying the temple. So far they've had nothing to report but strange occurrences..." He trailed off as the warning bell was finally acknowledged and he realized Race's eyes seemed to be blankly staring past him at the wall of windows. 

Now, another agent and he might not have been concerned. After all, the current topic was clearly not his forte. Another agent and it could have been that the man was just bored and decided to enjoy the view until his superiors got back to a subject that was in his element. This was Race however, he didn't just tune out of conversations like that. Especially not a conversation with friends. 

"Are you alright, Race?" Phil asked. 

"Hm?" He shook his head slightly before his ice blue eyes moved away from the window and focused on Corvin. "I'm fine, just a bit tired." 

Dr. Quest gave him the same unconvinced look that was on Phil's face. Race had a bad habit of saying he was fine when he wasn't. It was just something he did either because of his stubborn pride or because he didn't want to worry anyone. Knowing him like he did, Phil figured it was because of both reasons. 

"I'm guessin' you suspect the Zin's had something to do with it?" And now Race was trying to dodge further questions. It was probably just a cold then, he never lied about being fine when it was something serious. 

Phil allowed the change in subject, replying, "Yes. They were spotted in the area not long after the reports started coming in. Statues within the temple are supposedly coming to life and have even attacked members of the team. I've been told there is a myth about such a thing so it is possible they aren't involved, but it still sounds rather suspicious to me. 

"Has anyone been hurt?" Dr. Quest asked. 

Corvin shook his head, "No, but the entire team's been frightened off, save for the head archaeologist." He couldn't help the slight grin that came to his face as he thought of her, "She's a rather determined woman - and someone you know well, Race." 

Despite the very obvious hint that his ex-wife, Estella Velasquez, was the head archaeologist, Race didn't react. He just sat there; eyes half-shut as he stared off into space. Was he falling asleep? 

"Are you sure you're alright, Race?" Dr. Quest asked. 

"Huh?" Race shook his head, sluggishly swiveling his chair towards him. "'M fine. I'm... I... oohh..." moaning, he doubled over in his chair before falling out entirely. The only thing that saved him from cracking his skull on the edge of the table was the fact he'd turned his chair. 

"Race!" Both men shot to their feet. Dr. Quest knelt by Race's side as Phil came around the table. Together they carefully rolled him onto his back. 

Corvin reached for his phone only to mutter a curse when he found it absent from his pocket. He must have forgotten it in the car, dammit. Quest was a step ahead, phone in hand as he called 911. It may turn out to be unnecessary to call an ambulance, but it was far better to be safe rather than sorry. 

"Race? Race can you hear me?" Phil kept trying to get a response as Quest spoke to the dispatcher. "Race? Come on Bannon, answer me." His tone had shifted from concerned to commanding in the hopes it would get some response - it didn't. 

"Roger, answer me." Not even the rarely used first name got a response. He ran through a mental checklist as he continued to try. Pulse? Shallow but there. Noticing his skin was warm, Phil pressed a hand to Race's forehead. He was burning up. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn, Race?" he sighed. 

With silence as his answer, he continued running through the checklist. Breathing? Rapid and shallow. He undid the first few buttons of Race's shirt, hoping it'd make breathing a little easier. The red fabric moved aside just enough for something to catch his attention. Frowning, Corvin undid a few more buttons, exposing more of Race's chest. 

"Doctor," Phil looked up to make sure he had Quest's attention as he motioned to the splotchy blue rash he'd discovered. 

Dr. Quest's azure eyes widened as he lowered the phone slightly. "Son of a bi-" 

* * *

"Tch, you gotta do better than that Jess!" Jonny scoffed as he swerved around the fallen branch that had been tossed into his path. 

"You still haven't caught up yet, Hotshot," Jessie laughed as she turned a corner in the path, disappearing from sight. 

Jonny narrowed his eyes, studying the forest around him. The trees didn't allow for many shortcuts, especially on hover board. The course had been specifically designed to prevent there being too many shortcuts. Spotting a dark opening his azure eyes lit up. That didn't mean there weren't a few secrets however. 

Angling his board and ducking, Jonny shot between two tree trunks. It was a narrow tunnel but plenty of space to make it through safely. Not that it'd matter if he crashed, it wasn't like he could be hurt in QuestWorld. Granted, he would have still done it even if it was in the real world. 

Which was why hover board races were now confined to the safety of the VR world. 

At least with a complete rebuild enhancing system performance and graphics - now it almost looked like the real world as opposed to the claymation like graphics it had before - as well as removing any nasty surprises that might have been left by the late Dr. Surd, QuestWorld was better and safer than ever now. 

Jonny shot out of the tunnel of trees, just barely cutting in front of Jessie. He hardly heard her cry of "No fair!" over his laughter. 

The finish line was in sight now, a pond glistening in the afternoon sunlight. Whoever reached there first did run the risk of 'accidentally' being knocked in, but it'd be worth it to have a week off from chores. Jonny was already planning how he'd use all the free time that'd be opened up. 

Maybe he could convinced Race to let him work on his marksmanship. After all he was getting older now and it wasn't entirely uncommon for him to be in a position to use a pistol or rifle - gotta love that Quest Team 'luck'. He knew even now it was likely to be a solid 'no', but if he had _just_ the right argument... 

A blur of auburn hair and teal t-shirt shot past him, startling him out of his thoughts. Jessie laughed, beautiful emerald eyes dancing. How did she even get ahead of him? He was beginning to think she'd modified her hover board or something, she'd one the last three races and now it looked like she might win the fourth. 

He swerved to the right in an attempt to get ahead of her. "Not so fast!" She moved with him in an attempt to block his path. She wasn't quite fast enough and he came up right beside her. 

Up ahead a fallen log took up half the rail, only leaving space for one person of the path. And of course the log was on his side of the trail. Which mean he'd have to fall behind again. Wait a minute, that log was hollow. He grinned as a plan formed. 

Looking from him then to the fallen log and back, Jessie practically read his mind. "Don't you do it, Hotshot!" 

"There's nothing in the rules against it," he grinned in response as he prepared to put his plan into action. 

He jumped off his board, the log creaking under his weight as he ran across it. Below he heard could hear the hum of the hover board still moving. All going to plan he could jump onto his board on the other side. He just kept moving, not thinking about the remnants of old branches poking up from the log. Some were only little nubs that didn't prove much trouble but others were far more of a problem. He jumped over one but didn't have time to celebrate his small victory before another one tripped him. 

"Careful, Jonny!" Jessie called. Right, like that'd help him. 

He'd say he planned it all along, but planting his hands on the log and turning his momentum into a flip was less of a plan and more of just a reflex. Whoever said a lifetime of adventure was a bad thing? He jumped off the log, landing on his board and pulling ahead of Jessie just a bit. 

He shot her a grin as he swerved ahead of her. He was so close to victory now, there was no way he could lose. No short cuts, no crazy plans, just a straight shot to the pond. Nothing could stop him now. 

And then it was gone. 

A bright flash swallowed both him and Jessie as distantly the computer acknowledged them being logged out of QuestWorld. The visor flickered off, revealing the VR lab. 

"What's the deal, Hadj?" Jonny demanded as he took off the headset, "I was winning!" 

Hadji moved away from the desk that served as the monitoring station and made his way to the door. "There is an ambulance pulling up to the mansion," he answered. 

"Why?" The two shot to their feet, race forgotten. 

"I do not know," Hadji answered as he pulled open the door to the lighthouse. Sure enough, an ambulance was visible in the driveway. Bandit bolted outside, running up the path towards Dr. Quest. 

Well, that scratched one name off the list of possible patients. That still left Race and Director Corvin however. The three were supposed to be in a meeting about something - the agency needing help with a case, Jonny guessed. Given the mansion's automated security system as well as the skill of all three men there weren't many ways someone could have successfully attacked. Therefore it must have been some sort of accident, a minor one hopefully. 

Though, given his dad was visibly shaken, Jonny knew it couldn't be minor. He ignored the cold feeling between his shoulder blades as he caught up to Bandit, scooping him up before he could continue one and possibly hassle the paramedics. 

"What's going on, Dad?" Jonny asked when they finally reached him. 

He sighed and Jonny knew who it was before he ever said anything. The fact he looked at Jessie was a dead giveaway. "Race collapsed during the meeting." 

"What? Why?" Jessie demanded, eyes widening in fear and worry. 

"He had a fever, we suspect that had something to do with it," Dr. Quest answered. "But we won't know the exact reason until the doctors have a chance to examine him." 

The cold feeling only grew as Jonny saw fear in his father's eyes. He had an idea as to what it was, and it wasn't good. 

* * *

In room 204 they found Race still unconscious and hooked up to several monitors. The most notable of which was the heart monitor, its rhythmic beeping drowning out the hum of the other machines. Benton glanced at the monitors and his mind flashed back to monitors displaying similar grave results. The pain alone was enough to make him shove the memory away before he even had to remind himself now was not the time to dwell on it. 

When he saw the blue rash he knew exactly what was ailing Race. It had been ten years since Benton had last seen it, but that didn't dull his memory at all. His fears were confirmed when he'd heard the doctor mutter something about a "Twenty-Seven series virus". That demon from his past had returned and once again it missed him. Why? Why did others have to suffer for his mistakes? 

The doctor, a tall African-American woman, turned away from the monitor she had been studying, lowering her clipboard to her side. There was a sad look in Dr. Hawkins' eyes that Benton hadn't see since the rodeo incident a few years ago. She knew what it was, what it meant. Still, in spite of the situation he was glad to see a friend rather than a stranger. 

Jessie broke away from the group, approaching her father's side. She stopped, glancing over at Hawkins. When the doctor nodded, she sat on the edge of the bed, taking Race's hand. 

"I'm afraid the diagnosis isn't good," Dr. Hawkins spoke without prompting. Years of practice kept her tone professional, but there was a storm swirling in her dark eyes. "Bannon's been infected with a fatal virus. There aren't many recorded case of Virus Twenty-Seven Eighty-Five X but..." 

"Is there a cure?" Jessie broke in, emerald eyes begging the doctor to say that there was. 

"No," Benton answered quietly, sparing Hawkins the pain of crushing the faint hope Race would be alright. He should be the one to do it, it was the result of his own foolishness. "I'm sorry, Jessie." 

There could have been one though, if he hadn't given up. Now it looked like his mistake would cost another life. 

Jessie bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes as it sank in that her father was dying. Dying. After forty-one years - the majority of them spent evading death - he was going to die. Jonny sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

"Case one," Hawkins murmured, realization flashing in her eyes. She'd done her homework... which made him wonder just how she had learned of the virus to begin with. "Forgive me, I didn't realize you were already familiar with the virus." 

"What do you mean 'case one'?" Jonny asked, looking over at her with stormy azure eyes. His gaze turned to Benton, "What is Twenty-Seven Eighty-Five X?" 

Benton's heart sank as he realized his son had already put it together. Already knew what it had done. "It's what killed your mother," he confirmed quietly. 

Jonny lowered his gaze, releasing a shaky breath. Benton had always wondered how much his son remembered of those few days, now he had the answer. Enough to know exactly what was coming. 

The moment Rachel had fallen ill, Benton had begun working on the cure. He never finished it in time and she had died in a hospital much like this one. After that, he stopped working on it. He didn't see the point, the one he loved was already gone. He'd been too lost in his own grief to consider the fact others would die if the cure wasn't found. And now, here he was, cursing himself for his foolish selfishness while Race paid the price for his mistake. 

Finally, Hadji broke the silence that had fallen over the room with one very important question, "How long does Race have?" His voice was calm and even, but his chocolate eyes betrayed the sorrow he was hiding. 

Hawkins sighed, turning to look back at Race. "Given his track record and the rate of the virus's progression..." she trailed off as she did the math, "I give him two days, three at most." 

Benton narrowed his eyes slightly. Two days, maybe three, he had that long to succeed where he had failed in the past. "I'll need a few samples of the virus. I'll take them back to the lab for study. If there's any chance I can find the cure..." 

"Of course," Hawkins nodded. "I'll let Hamato know, I'm sure he can spare a few." 

"Thank you, Doctor." Benton turned to leave, only to stop when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned his head to look at Hadji. 

"I would like to help, Father," he murmured. His use the title was rare, further evidence of the emotions he couldn't quite hide. 

Benton's first instinct was to say no. Working with the virus could be dangerous and he didn't want Hadji anywhere near that. Yet he had found the saying 'two heads are better than one' to be true and there was plenty Hadji could do that didn't involve the virus samples. Finally, he nodded, "Alright." 

As they made their way out of the room he paused to look back for a moment as he made a silent vow. He would not fail this time. This time he _would_ find the cure. 

* * *

Dr. Quest's state of the art laboratory, a lab that was becoming as much as Hadji's as it was his adoptive father's, was connected to the conference room by a long corridor. The lab's distance from the main mansion was a safety precaution, just like the blast- and sound-proof walls. Not that these precautions were often put to the test, it was just simply better safe than sorry. 

The walk down the corridor was silent save for their footsteps on the tile. There was tension in the air, radiating from Dr. Quest. His shoulders were stiff, grim determination in his eyes. This virus opened an old wound of his past and Hadji knew he was determined to close it once and for all. 

They stopped at the double doors and Hadji moved over to the keypad. He pressed his left hand to the scanner, right hand dancing over the keypad. 91864, the keypad beeped as each number was pressed. The doors slid open and the lights came on illuminating the large, yet somehow still crowded, room. 

As they entered Hadji couldn't help but cast a glance at the partially assembled android sprawled across one of the workbenches. 4-DAC would eventually be a lab assistant designed to do the more hazardous work. They were supposed to work on it more this afternoon but needless to say plans had changed. Still, Hadji wished it was operational, studying the virus samples would have been the perfect job for it. That said, he had faith in their equipment and safety procedures. The risk to himself and Dr. Quest was minor. 

The case containing the virus samples was set on an empty workbench before Dr. Quest turned and made his way over to the large bookshelf in the corner of the lab. While he retrieved his old notes, Hadji began to set up the workbench so the virus samples could be safely studied. He didn't get very far before a loud crash drew his attention. 

Looking over he found Dr. Quest kneeling down as he hastily cleared off the bottom shelf without care if the tossed notebooks were damaged. With a good portion of the shelf cleared a small safe was revealed. In all his years working in the lab - even aiding in the redesign of it after the original Quest Compound was destroyed - Hadji had never known there was a safe hidden in the wall. He assumed Dr. Quest had it put in to lock away the most confidential of projects and notes... and maybe even those he wished not to look at again. 

From the safe Dr. Quest withdrew an old notebook. The dust on it speaking to the fact it had only been handled once in recent years, likely being when it was moved to the safe. The worn spine and corners added to the tale, explaining it had once been a favorite before its contents doomed it to be locked away. 

Bringing it over to the workbench he explained, "This notebook contains all my notes on the virus. They should provide us a basis to work from." He studied it for a moment before passing it to Hadji, "Can you look over the notes while I study the samples?" 

Not knowing if the request came from concerns about him studying the samples or because he simply couldn't bear to look at the notes, Hadji merely nodded. He started towards his desk as he opened the notebook. Flipping through it he found several pages of notes on various subjects. Some of which, from his brief skimming, seemed to be the conception of the QuestWorld idea. Finally, he reached the pages where the usually neat handwriting had turned shaky. The first of the pages had notes hastily written but remarkably without error. 

They didn't make sense though. The notes were things such as the date of the virus's creation and the lab at which it was made. Odd things to be among the first bits of information known from what was at the time a newly discovered virus. The other notes - on symptoms, rate of progression - made more sense to be first yet they were not. Hadji could ask about it later, right now the important thing was finding anything that could help them now. 

Sitting at his desk he fetched a notepad and pen with his free hand. There had to be something within the old notes that could help them. If his father had been close to finding the cure... Hadji frowned realizing there was no way to tell how close - or far - Dr. Quest had been to finding the cure when his wife died. 

He considered asking, glancing up from the notes. He found Dr. Quest hunched over the microscope as he worked, a notepad of his own beside him. Deciding against disturbing him, Hadji went to return his attention to the notes when something else caught his eye. The photo was a familiar sight by now, it almost never left Dr. Quest's desk. The blonde woman in the picture was smiling, her sky-blue eyes looking at the camera. Sometimes, Hadji felt as if she was watching him. 

He knew it was never the photo though that didn't mean she wasn't watching. His mind traveled back to the day seven years ago when he'd first met the Quest Team. Dr. Quest had been asked to lecture at the Calcutta University and Hadji - then just a ten-year-old street orphan - had followed the team. 

He'd always said he'd done it because he was curious about them, and that was true. What he hadn't told them was there had been another reason. The night before he'd met Mrs. Quest in a vision. He hadn't known it was her at the time, but she had given him guidance, encouraging him to stay close to the Quests. _"They are your future, Hadji,"_ she had said, and she'd been right. 

It was her guidance that led him to follow them that day and because of that he'd been in the right place at the right time to not only save Dr. Quest from an assassination attempt but to find the family he'd never had before. He had wondered sometimes if her guidance hadn't been to help him but to instead save her husband. He knew now that wasn't the case. He'd encountered her only a few other times, for a few moments here or there. She appeared rarely, to give advice or comfort. It wasn't until Jonny confessed that he also saw his mother occasionally that Hadji understood. Though she may be dead, Rachel Quest still watched over her family. A family that included him though he hadn't know that at the time. 

He wondered if she was watching over them now. He hoped so, he was certain the could all use comfort now, especially Dr. Quest. 

He shook his head, refocusing on the notes. The answer had to be here somewhere and they had to find it. Not only for Race's sake, but Dr. Quest's as well. He had failed once to find the cure and it might destroy him if he did so again. 

Hadji wouldn't allow that to happen, he couldn't allow it. 

* * *

Several hours later nothing had changed. Jonny sat on the edge of the bed, alone since Jessie had stepped outside to attempt to call her mother. Another time, another situation, he might have wondered where Estella was and if she'd be able to make it. This time however his thoughts were elsewhere. His gaze was locked onto the white tile floor, but he wasn't really looking at it. 

In his mind's eye he saw another hospital room. Things were fuzzy, incomplete, the memories had faded and bled together over the last ten years. There were some things he could never forget though. His mother had looked like she'd been asleep. He hadn't noticed it then but looking back now he realized just how pale she'd been. 

As a six-year-old child he'd been too young to understand words such as 'fatal' and 'virus', but he had understood the fact that his mother was really sick. He hadn't understood why, but he knew she got sick, went to sleep, and never woke up again. 

He shut his eyes tightly as the echo of the flat-line tone assaulted his ears. The murmur of doctors and nurses almost drowned out by his father's grief filled cries. Begging her to stay, begging for more time. He was so close to finding the answer he just needed more time! His cries had done nothing however, she was gone. 

She'd been gone for a long time now and Race was...

Jonny's eyes shot open and his head shot up as he felt a warm, slightly calloused, hand holding his own. He looked over at Race, daring to hope that just maybe he'd woken up. Jonny gave a quiet sight, turning his head to glare at the floor when he found him still unconscious. He figured he must've grabbed Race's hand without realizing it. 

He didn't let go. 

The memories following his mother's death were just as faded and blurred as the memories leading up to it. Not that it mattered, Jonny easily remembered the fact his father had spent most of his time locked away in the lab. Now that he knew what he'd been working on, Jonny couldn't exactly say he was mad at his dad for that. At the time however, he'd just been a confused child left alone with loneliness and grief. Well, almost left alone. 

Intelligence One had insisted on assigning a bodyguard to them. Why they hadn't before Jonny didn't know, nor did he care. A bodyguard couldn't have saved his mother from a virus, which begged the question as to why I-One thought it would help after the fact. Whatever the reason he couldn't really complain. He still didn't know what would have happened if Race hadn't been there. 

He wasn't a replacement for either of Jonny's parents, and never could be, but he had been there to push back the loneliness and offer support. That was something Jonny needed most back then, and he knew he wasn't the only one. Someone had to have started dragging his dad out of the lab after all. 

Sometimes Jonny tried to imagine just what would have happened if I-One had chosen to assign a different agent - or opted not to assign one at all. Every time his mind came up blank, he just couldn't picture it. Just like he could never imagine Race dying. The man wasn't superhuman, Jonny knew that, and there had been several close calls in the past - including one terrifying time Race's heart had actually stopped - but he always survived. No matter how he got knocked down he always got back up, he always came back. 

Call it experience, call it stupid optimism, whatever it was Jonny was always certain Race would be okay. They would all be okay. Everything would be okay; it'd turn out fine. Everything always turned out fine in the end. 

Except for when his mom died. 

And that brought Jonny to one very important question: Why wasn't there a cure? As his mother died his father claimed he was so close to finding the cure, he just needed more time. It had been ten years, so where the hell was the cure? Had he just abandoned it to work on the time program? What good would the time program have done without the cure? Yeah he'd decided to lock it away and not use it, but before that how could he have planned to go back and save her if there was no cure? 

And suddenly, Jonny understood. Not having the cure meant his dad was less likely to be tempted to use the program despite locking it away. 

The door opened, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked over at Jessie, silently asking how it had gone. She shook her head as she made her way over, sinking down onto the edge of the bed. 

That was her third failed attempt to call her mother. Estella must be extremely busy then, or in an area with bad signal. Honestly the latter was probably more likely, if she was on a dig then odds were she was in the middle of nowhere. And everyone knew the middle of nowhere never had good signal, no matter what the various phone companies claimed. 

Jessie leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Neither of them said anything, there wasn't anything that could be said to make things easier. She rested her head against his shoulder as they listened to the beeping of the heart monitor. Though the sound meant Race was still alive, Jonny hated it. 

It was a constant reminder that Race's life was in danger. That his heart could stop at any moment. Even more so, the rhythmic beeping seemed to be taunting them, repeating 'he's... going... to... die... he's... going... to... die...' endlessly. 

He had to wonder, what would Race be telling them right now if he could talk? He was always a lot better at being reassuring than Jonny ever was. That's what he'd be trying to do, reassure them that everything would be alright. Maybe that's where Jonny had gotten his strong optimism from. Not that his dad was cynical by any means, he just wasn't always so sure everything would turn out fine. Race always was though, or at least that's how he seemed. 

That was what they needed right now. Race couldn't do it this time though, so it would have to fall to someone else. And hey, if not Jonny then who else? 

"They're gonna find it," Jonny said. His voice sounded more confident than he felt. 

"What makes you so sure?" Jessie asked, raising her head to look up at him. He saw the argument she wasn't making. Dr. Quest hadn't found the cure back then nor in the ten years since, how could he find it now? 

"Dad has the old notes and Hadji's help, he didn't have that before," Jonny pointed out. And now he had a reason to do so, a reason beyond the temptation of Project Rachel. "He's going to find the cure, Jessie." 

"Do you really think so?" she asked, green eyes studying him critically. He didn't know why she bothered; she knew he was horrible at lying to her. 

He met her gaze evenly, "Yeah. I think so." 

They had to. His dad always fixed his mistakes, he'd do so again. Besides, he'd never let Race down before, he wouldn't start now. 

At least, Jonny hoped so. 

* * *

Naomi Hawkins was no stranger to seeing men, women, and others at their weakest and most vulnerable, standing at the very gates of death and fighting for their lives. From being an army medic to a doctor - and I-One allied doctor no less - that was one of the major things that never changed. That didn't make it any easier though, especially when the patient was a friend.

There had been times in the past where she thought Bannon had finally done it and earned that one-way ticket to the afterlife. The 'rodeo incident' being the more recent example. He ran into enough trouble just due to his job and then he went to a _rodeo_? It was almost like he was testing death sometimes, seeing how close he could get. Well, this time he was going to get really up close and personal with the grim reaper. There was no way he was getting out of this one. 

True, she'd had that thought before and he'd come back - again said 'rodeo incident' was a perfect example - but that wasn't going to happen this time. This was a death sentence. And yet, despite how much she told herself that, how much she tried to accept the reality of the situation, some small part of her clung to the hope that he'd do it again. That fate would be in his favor once more. 

She supposed that was another thing that never changed about her job. The faint glimmer of hope that the odds could be beaten never faded. She'd seen enough miracles to know it could happen, but to be certain of it was only a recipe for heartbreak. 

She took note of the readings on the monitors, not needing to compare them to earlier notes to know his condition was worsening. Of all the ways for him to die, why did it have to be slowly before her eyes while she was powerless to stop it? This was what she hated most about her job, when there was nothing she could do. All her knowledge, her skills, they were useless. _She_ was useless. 

Jessie returned after her sixth or perhaps seventh attempt at calling her mother. "She still won't answer," she mumbled as she made her way back to the edge of the bed. "I n-need her an-and she still wo-won't answer..." Her borderline squeaky voice was trembling as she couldn't hold back tears anymore. Jonny wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. 

Hawkins didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say. They knew better than her the reasons Velasquez might not be answering. That was a battle she was not looking forward to, attempting to reach her to make that phone call letting her know of Bannon's passing. That was one thing Hawk never quite understood. They had been divorced for almost ten years now and yet he never removed Velasquez's name from his emergency contacts, yet the Quests had been added so it wasn't like he forgot to update it. Perhaps they were closer than Hawkins realized. She supposed she'd never know. 

She doubled checked her notes, comparing them to the monitors. No errors to fix, no changes on the monitors, she had what she needed. She turned away from the machines and cast one more glance at the two. 

Seeing the teenagers - both almost as skilled, determined, and strong as the dying agent - so sorrowful and defeated brought on another sharp stab of guilt. She was a doctor for God's sake, she should be able to do something to help him! Yet all she could do was wait and hope Dr. Quest found a miracle. 

Oh, she'd known the Quests long enough to know finding miracles was one of Dr. Quest's specialties. Still, he was only a mortal man, there were some things he simply could not do. Finding a cure that had stumped scientists for years in only two days was likely to be one of those things. 

"I wish there was something, anything, I could do," she murmured in apology. 

Jonny raised his head, emotion clouded azure eyes locking on to her dark brown ones, "What do you know about Twenty-Seven Eighty-Five X?" 

"Not much is known about the virus," Hawkins replied. She could provided information, but she didn't even have much of that. "It is typically identified by the characteristic blue rash that forms on the torso and in some cases limbs of the patient. The virus is not contagious - unless you plan on doing a blood transfusion - which is most likely one of the reasons there are so few recorded cases." 

That and people not knowing what they were dealing with. She had to wonder just how many unrecorded cases there were. Hawk didn't doubt there were people who had been infected and were simply never found. A frightening thought but given the assumed purpose of the virus it wouldn't surprise her. 

"There have been seven recorded cases, all of them resulting in the patient's death. It is believed Eighty-Five X was created in a lab, engineered to be a tool of assassination." That was the basic explanation for those who had the clearance to know about the virus but not know all of the details. 

Even then it was probably more than she was 'allowed' to tell them. At this point she didn't give a damn about that. Besides, though they were only sixteen and seventeen she was certain Jonny and Jessie had seen and done enough to achieve a security clearance higher than her own. 

"There are two other - weaker - strands of the virus. Twenty-Seven-Eighty-Six Y and Twenty-Seven-Eighty-Seven Z. The current theory is the weaker viruses were created to sell to the highest bidder," she continued, "Though it is assumed the creator has protection against the viruses, neither one has a known cure." 

That was the only explanation she was supposed to give and even then, no one with a clearance below that of Director Corvin was supposed to hear it. And even if they had the clearance they needed authorization. Granted if Corvin found out she'd told the kids he'd probably praise her. The men he answered to wouldn't agree however. 

Still, the fact remained there was another piece of the puzzle, one she'd been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to learn. It hadn't felt fortunate back then, but now she was realizing there was something she could do to help Bannon. 

Her ever present limp was more pronounced as she approached the teens. If her superiors ever found out what she was about to do she wasn't sure Corvin would be able to protect her. Really, she wouldn't want him risking her career over it anyway. If she was going to lose her career and be thrown in prison for divulging this information then so be it. 

She leaned down to be eye level with the teens, dark eyes meeting first azure then emerald. "You didn't hear this from me," she said in a low voice that got their undivided attention instantly, "But there is one man who survived Eighty-Six Y. Impossible without a cure." 

And a cure for 86Y could possibly be adapted for 85X, it was worth a shot at least. Perhaps things weren't as hopeless as she thought. Perhaps - dare she hope - there was a chance Bannon could beat the odds after all. If only she'd thought of this sooner. 

A determined look over took the sorrow in Jessie's eyes as she sat up straighter, "Who?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**_Condition: Terminal_ **

Those words stared back at Phil from the report Dr. Hawkins had sent him earlier. No mater how many times he re-read the report it didn't change. Once again he looked at the name on the report. _Agent Bannon, Roger T._ it hadn't changed. In spite of his hopes that while re-reading the report the name would morph into one he didn't recognize or the prognosis would improve, it simply didn't happen. 

Finally, he released a shaky breath and stood up. Sitting there in denial was only wasting precious time. He left his desk and made his way over to the filing cabinet. Kneeling down he unlocked the bottom drawer and withdrew a file marked 27-X-Y-Z. He added the report to the file and then returned it. He leaned forward as he shut the drawer, resting his forehead against the cool metal as he locked it.

He knew soon he'd likely be adding an updated report with the date of Race's death on it. Ironic, wasn't it? 2785X killing Rachel Quest had been the reason Race had been assigned to the Quest family in the first place and now that same virus would likely be the reason he left - permanently. 

'Likely' did not mean 'certainly' however. Standing, he turned back to his desk. He knew for a fact 86Y had a cure and, while a long shot that may not result in anything, it was a start. A late start perhaps since he'd only just gotten the report, but a start nonetheless. 

Briefly the thought about how Hawkins should have called flashed in the back of his mind. Then again, maybe she had. Angie had said he'd missed a few calls while in the meeting with Harris and a few other agents. He didn't have time to check that now though. 

He'd only just sat down in his chair when the intercom beeped. "Doctor Quest is here to see you, sir," his secretary's voice came over the speaker. 

"Let him in, Angie," Corvin replied. He tried not to sound too uneasy but he couldn't help but worry. If Quest was here then it couldn't be about anything good. Was it already too late? No, surely not, he would have gotten a call from someone by now and his staff knew that was the kind of call to inform him about immediately. Granted, things slipped through the cracks sometimes. 

The tenseness in Quest's shoulders and steel in his azure eyes would ordinarily put anyone on edge. Phil, however, was relieved. Race wasn't dead and the good doctor had a lead. Yet he wondered what had brought him here. 

Despite knowing the answer, Phil asked, "How's Race?" 

"It doesn't look good," Dr. Quest sighed. "Which is why I need you tell me what you know about Twenty-Seven Eighty-Six Y, the virus you survived." 

How had he...? Hawkins. Hawk must have told him. She was the only one in recent contact with the Quest Team that would have known. And while she may have received quite grave orders to keep quiet about it, she was never one to stand by and let a life fade away. Phil knew it had been a good move to convince her to join I-One's medical division - even if she constantly questioned how she'd allowed him to do that. 

Phil shook his head, "I know know..." 

"This isn't the time to play corporate games, Corvin," Quest snapped. There was sharp edge in his voice, one rarely heard. It usually didn't end well for whoever that tone was directed at. 

"This is Race we're talking about, Benton," he snapped in reply. Ordinarily he wouldn't use the man's first name, but there were certain occasions that called for it. Like derailing what could easily turn into an unnecessary heated argument. And it worked, Dr. Quest blinked in surprise, remaining silent long enough for Phil to continue, "I would tell you if I knew, but I don't. It's Washington's secret." 

He'd been dying at the time and no one had thought it necessary to fill him in afterwards. Hawk certainly didn't know it either, if she had she would have said something by now. That struck her name off the list of people to interrogate. Not that it would have been much of an interrogation; Naomi couldn't lie to him to save her life. 

Dr. Quest frowned in response, crossing his arms over his chest. Though unhappy with the answer it clearly made sense to him. If word got out that there was a cure to a virus that had previously been a very effective assassination weapon then all the criminals of the world would turn to something else. Which would leave them all back at square one. 

"You may not have the information," he said at last, "But you know how to get it." 

Phil nodded, "Guilty as charged. I was actually just about to get to that when you came in." He paused as an idea came to him, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards in a brief smirk. Why should he have all the fun? "Would you care to join me, Doctor?" 

* * *

Jonny sighed, shaking his head as he re-entered the room. He'd been hoping his dad's call would have had better news. At Jessie and Hadji's questioning looks he said, "Corvin doesn't know what the cure is." 

"It figures he wouldn't," Hawkins muttered from where she was studying the monitors. "We have very strict orders to keep our mouths shut. I wouldn't be surprised if only the creator of the cure has the privilege of knowing what it actually is." She shook her head. 

To Jonny it didn't make sense. Shouldn't doctors know this kind of thing? After all, how could they do their job if such information was being kept from them? He supposed it didn't matter at the moment. The important thing was figuring out how to find the person who created the cure. 

The corner of Hawkins' mouth quirked upward in a brief, almost sadistic, smirk. Jonny had seen a lot of scary expressions on her face before - typically when bad news was coming - but seeing her actually look sadistically amused was probably the scariest. "However, though Corvin doesn't have the answers he knows how to get them. And I feel sorry for whoever may be on his list of people to interrogate. He's a good, honest man, but he's also known for being quite ruthless when there's a life on the line." 

Jonny couldn't say he knew Corvin super well, but he knew he was a good friend of Race's. Odds were he would not be kind to any who stood in his way. Jonny had to wonder if Hawkins would be facing that kind of wrath if she hadn't spoken up about 86Y. 

Before he could think about that too long, Jessie spoke up, "They may not find the answers in time." Frustration had overtaken her sorrow, leaving her tense and ready for action. For as much as people liked to joke about how she took after Dr. Quest, she really did take after her own father quite a bit. 

She brought up a good point. Corvin might have an idea on how to get the answers but Jonny had heard his dad and Race complain often enough to know there was a lot of roadblocks when dealing with the government. Going about it the 'proper' way would surely take too long. While Corvin might drop the formalities, there was no telling just how far he was willing to go or how quick it'd be. 

But what could they do? 

He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the floor as he tried to come up with something. Meanwhile, Hadji stood quietly, a thoughtful look on his face as he stroked the small beard he'd grown over the last year or so. 

"What about Director Corvin's medical record?" he suggested after a moment, lowering his hand. 

As if Jonny needed more proof his brother was a genius. That was a good place to start, it'd have to have something about the virus right? 

"Corvin is the head of an intelligence agency. Parts of his medical record is above my security clearance. I can only access the basic record and that doesn't even mention 86Y." Hawkins shook her head. Jonny was seriously beginning to question I-One's medical division if the doctors couldn't even access entire medical records. 

"But don't hospitals have to keep full records on their patients?" Jonny asked. "Especially one with an I-One division." Nothing against the agency, but he suspected given the line of work, agents were regular faces at the hospital. 

Hawkins nodded, "You are correct, but the file is highly classified. It's only accessible to those with the right code and I doubt Williams would help us." 

Jonny frowned. Access codes could be bypassed. It wasn't exactly the 'right' way to do it, but they were on a time limit here. Hawkins shifted her weight to her good leg as she studied the three of them and he had to wonder if she had come to the same conclusion. 

Jessie certainly had, lowering her voice she said, "We could get around it by hacking in." If Hawkins was concerned about them plotting to break the law, she didn't show it. 

"We would need to know what hospital Director Corvin was treated at," Hadji voiced a concern of his own. Jonny scowled at him in response. Man, he hated when his brother was right. 

"Here," Hawkins said without hesitation. "Two years ago Phil Corvin was treated here, at this very hospital." 

Well, that made things easier. Jonny nodded, a plan forming in his head. "We'll need our laptops." Perhaps even a portable QuestWorld system, that'd surely make it easier. 

Hadji shook his head, "It would take too long to return to the compound and retrieve our laptops. We would be better off borrowing a computer here." 

A valid point, but who was just going to let them borrow a computer? Even with some cover story about desperately needing to finish some homework it'd be suspicious and unlikely to work. 

"Well," Hawkins began, prompting all three to turn towards her. Maybe she already had a plan. "If you happened to find your way to my office and borrowed my laptop, I wouldn't complain." 

Leave it to the good doctor to come through. "Thanks, Hawk." He hadn't even noticed he'd slipped and called her by the nickname as he started for the door, Jessie and Hadji doing the same. 

He was halted by a cool hand landing on his shoulder. "Ah, ah, ah, not so fast Quest." He stopped and turned to look at Hawkins, eyes narrowed slightly. A catch? 

"What's the catch?" Jessie demanded before Jonny could. Her voice had gone cold, like Hawkins had suddenly become an enemy. 

"It's rather late," Hawkins explained, seemingly unbothered by their less than kind reactions, "In exchange for letting you use my laptop I want the three of you to get some sleep. You may sleep in my office or come back here first, I don't care which, but you three need rest." 

Well, they couldn't really argue with that. Jonny didn't think they'd get much sleep but it was a fair request. "Deal." Jessie and Hadji spoke in unison with him. 

With that they continued on their way out the door. Hawkins' office shouldn't be too hard to find, Jonny had been there once or twice. Realizing Jessie was no longer with him and Hadji he stopped and turned to see she had paused in the doorway. 

Faintly he heard Dr. Hawkins promise to keep an eye on Race and Jessie nodded. After another moment of hesitation, she left the room and started down the hall. He and Hadji waited for her to catch up before they continued. 

As they made their way towards the office, Jonny could only hope his dad wouldn't be too mad when he found out they broke the law. 

* * *

"Dammit," Corvin hissed when 'access denied' flashed across his screen. Benton frowned in response, not knowing if he was more surprised or disappointed. After a bit of discussion, they had decided Corvin's medical record would be a good place to start. It had been password protected of course but that had been no obstacle. This second portion however seemed to be out of reach. Odd, the head of Intelligence One wasn't able to access the full version of his own medical record? 

"I bet only those who were directly involved know the password," Corvin grumbled as he leaned back in his chair with a huff. 

"And who would that be?" Benton asked. 

"I don't know. However, we know someone who might." He swiveled his chair to face him, cobalt blue eyes narrowed in thought. "We may have to pay Doctor Hawkins a visit after all." 

Well, at least the doctor would be cooperative. Or should be, Benton didn't really know for sure. This was really the first situation where she was caught up in a government secret. There was no telling just how willing she was to give out names and point them in the right direction. Then again she had told them about Corvin. 

Of course, she had surely been reassured by the knowledge while he'd be able to trace it back to her she would face no consequences. Would she be so willing if she had to directly lead them to another person? It was hard to say. 

Before he could ask about the likelihood of Hawkins' cooperation his phone started ringing. He was quick to answer, fear's icy claws gripping his heart. "Is everything alright, Jonny?" Please don't say it was too late...

"Hey, Dad, is Director Corvin with you?" Jonny almost sounded excited. If he weren't so relieved Race wasn't dead, he'd be wondering just what his son had done now. 

"Yes, I'm still in his office. I'll put you on speaker." He set the phone on the desk as he did just that. 

"We checked Director Corvin's medical record," Jonny explained. Benton cast a glance at Corvin, seeing his own disbelief reflected in the other man's expression. 

"His full medical record?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. Surely not. There was only one way they could have done that and it wasn't exactly legal. Then again, with such dire circumstances perhaps it wasn't so unbelievable. 

"Yeah." Benton could just imagine his son nodding as he spoke. "We were hoping to find the cure, or information on how to find it, but all we found was..." 

"Baloo," Jessie's voice broke in. "All it says is 'recovered thanks to Baloo'." 

It meant nothing to Benton, but he saw a flash of recognition in Corvin's eyes. Looks like they weren't paying Hawkins a visit after all. 

"And how did you access my full medical record?" Corvin asked. Benton figured he would have been a bit miffed the kids had not only succeeded while they had failed - and broke the law to do so - but also violated his privacy by accessing the medical record. Instead, the man seemed amused. 

There was a beat of silence Benton took as the kids glancing at each other before Jonny confessed, "Well... uh... we may have..." He paused and it wasn't hard to imagine him rubbing the back of his neck as he finished in a rush, "...Hacked the hospital's computer system." 

"Does Baloo mean anything, Director Corvin?" Jessie asked, quickly moving away from the fact that she, Jonny, and Hadji - because these days where there were two kids the third was sure to follow - had just broken the law. 

"Yes," Corvin answered as he stood up. "It means we have a lead. Good work." 

He crossed the room to get his coat and Benton took the opportunity to take the phone off speaker as he picked it up again. "I know you kids want to help-" 

"Dad we couldn't just stand by and do nothing!" Jonny didn't let him get far. 

"I know son, you're not in trouble, but you're going to have to let us take it from here. It's late and you three need to get some sleep." That and the last thing he needed was the kids finding out just who Baloo was and where to find him and attempting to take matters into their own hands. He didn't know how far some of these people would go to defend their secret. 

"Yeah... Doctor Hawkins already took care of that," Jonny replied. "Getting some sleep was the price for her letting us borrow her computer." 

Benton chuckled, "Then I'll let you go so you can uphold your end of the bargain." 

"Okay Dad. Just... be careful." Seemed even Jonny knew 'Baloo' could turn out to be trouble. 

"I will, son," he promised. 

After he finished saying goodbye, he hung up and tucked the phone back into his pocket. Turning he found Corvin had already left the room, his shadow just visible through the ajar door. Stepping out of the room Benton found him on a phone call of his own. 

"Yeah, I'll call you in the morning. Tell Jay and Mya..." He fell silent as whoever was on the other end interrupted. An amused smile came to his face as he chuckled, "You know me too well, Emma. Love you." After a moment he hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. 

He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Opening them, the regret at not being able to go home tonight faded away as it was replaced by determination. He looked over at Benton, "We won't be able to speak to our 'friend' until morning - so in about four or five hours - but it's a bit of a long trip so we may as well start now." 

"Agreed." The clock was ticking in the back of his mind, slowly inching towards zero. Benton could only hope they would have enough time. 

* * *

Maybe it was the sleep they'd gotten or maybe it was the knowledge that the cure was one step closer to being found, whatever the reason the kids were in a much better mood that morning. Now it seemed as if Race had a real chance of surviving - and they knew that if there was a chance then he'd pull through. He always did, no matter the situation or the odds. 

"Man I wish I was going with Dad and Corvin," Jonny muttered as they made their way back to Race's room. Hadji wasn't very surprised, his brother always preferred action to just standing by and waiting. Admittedly he was amazed Jonny had gotten any sleep the night before rather than attempting to dive deeper into the mystery of just who 'Baloo' was. 

"Perhaps it is best that you are not," Hadji remarked with a slight grin. What kind of sibling would he be if he didn't take the opportunity to tease him? 

"Why's that, Hadj?" Jonny asked with a confused frown. 

"You have quite the knack for getting into trouble my friend." Hadji could no longer remember all the times Jonny had led him - and later Jessie as well - into trouble. Not that he regretted any of their adventures, but the fact remained Jonny seemed to be a magnet for trouble. Though, Hadji supposed that was an apt description for any member of the Quest Team. 

"Do not!" Jonny was quick to protest. 

"Yes you do," Jessie replied, laughter in her voice. "You're always getting into trouble, Hotshot." 

Jonny's retort died on his lips as they heard a commotion in the room ahead. Before they could even begin to wonder what was happening Hawkins' snarl drowned out the rest of the noise, "Goddammit Bannon, don't you dare die on me!" 

"Dad!" "Race!" It was only reflex that allowed Hadji to restrain both Jonny and Jessie when they attempted to bolt towards the room. 

Finding twin glares locked on to him, he calmly explained, "We need to stay out of their way." Yet he couldn't deny he was also worried. Some part of him wanted to be there, wanted to see what was going on. That would not help the doctors or Race however, it was best to remain here no matter how difficult it may be. Seeing the other two understood this, he released them. 

Jessie began to tremble, eyes watering. Jonny pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head when she buried her face in his chest. He was fighting tears of his own, refusing to let them fall as he started directly at the door. It was open but their view was blocked by the swarm of staff working rapidly. 

Doctor Hawkins' voice, usually calm and collected, carried the passion of a warrior fighting a battle as she gave orders. Perhaps that was how she saw it, a battle where her adversary was death and the prize was the life of her patient. Hadji would never know for sure, but speculating on the subject kept his mind from going down a darker path. 

Temporarily anyway. Grief was a strong emotion that was hard to keep at bay and it wasn't long before it was upon him. He knew death was always a possibility. Like a thief it could rise up and steal without even the slightest warning, in this situation death was to be expected. Yet some part of Hadji - despite his strong self-discipline - had believed death would not yet take Race. That he would, as he always did, survive. 

But it couldn't be denied the most likely outcome was death. How Hadji had allowed himself to believe otherwise he would never know. He supposed he'd made the mistake of being lulled into a false sense of security due to the past. A mistake he would not make again. 

And it was not the only mistake he'd made in recent years. As he had gotten older, he spent more and more of his time in either Dr. Quest's laboratory or the VR lab. The hours spent within shared with either Dr. Quest, Jessie, and/or Jonny. It seemed these days the most he and Race spent time together was during the Quest Team's various adventures. It was an error Hadji was only now realizing and one it may be too late to correct. 

"Come on, Bannon, quit fooling around and come back. I know better than to believe you're just going to give up like that." The doctor was just as stubborn as her patient. And yet, Hadji knew she'd have to draw the line somewhere. How long would she continue before giving up? He had no way of knowing. 

It wasn't important right now anyway. Hadji stepped foward, wrapping his arms around both Jonny and Jessie. "Doctor Hawkins is right; Race is not known for giving up easily." Whatever the likelihood of Race's survival, they needed comfort right now, not cold facts. 

Whatever comfort his words might have given was taken almost immediately after however. "I said one more time!" Hawkins snapped at someone within the room, "Then we let him go." 

Jessie broke down sobbing at the words. Knowing, just as Jonny and Hadji did, what was likely to occur. 

Hadji froze, chocolate eyes wide as he looked at the figure in the door. He didn't know if the others saw as well, but there was a pale ghostly woman in the doorway. Rachel Quest was here and he couldn't shake the feeling he knew why. Sad sky-blue eyes looked over at them before she turned and made her way into the room, vanishing from sight. 

Everything went quiet after and Hadji knew it was over. Whatever the results, whatever reason she had come here, it was done. One by one the staff left the room, a few giving the trio sympathetic looks. 

"H-he's g-gone... is... isn't h-h-he?" Jessie sobbed, not daring to look up. 

Hugging her tighter, Jonny murmured, "I-I don't know, Jess." 

"I will find out," Hadji said quietly, not knowing how he managed to keep his voice steady. Though he was certain he knew the answer he wanted to hear confirmation from Dr. Hawkins first. Once he had that, he would make the phone call informing Dr. Quest. Grieving would come later, right now he had to focus on the tasks at hand. 

He barely made it three steps before Hawkins appeared in the doorway. She looked absolutely drained as she ran a hand through her short black hair. She took a deep, somewhat shaky, breath as she looked at the three with sorrowful eyes. "Jessie, Jonny, Hadji." When she spoke, her voice held the faint tremor of emotion. "I have bad news for you." 


	3. Chapter 3

Despite only having a few hours' worth of sleep, Phil didn't think he and Dr. Quest looked too worse for wear as they entered the office of Dr. Victor Segale. Made famous by his many advancements in the fields of medicine and biology, Segale was one of I-One's prized scientists. Apparently he was also a colleague of Dr. Quest's as the bearded man behind the desk greeted both of them with a grin, "Director Corvin, Doctor Quest, what a pleasant surprise!" Standing, he shook hands first with Corvin then with Quest. "What brings you gentlemen here?" 

"We're here about one of your previous projects Doctor Segale," Phil replied as the man sat down again. He kept his tone pleasant, but he knew Segale wouldn't be as friendly when he found out the reason for their visit. 

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "Which one? You know I've had many projects over the years, Corvin." 

"I need the formula of the cure to virus Twenty-Seven Eighty-Six Y," Dr. Quest replied. 

As predicted, the pleasant grin was replaced by a tight frown. "I cannot help you. I'm sorry." 

"Please, Doctor Segale, I need the formula to find the cure to Twenty-Seven Eighty-Five X," Quest explained. Corvin could understand the tactic. As a fellow scientist, Segale would surely understand the formula would be used to save a life, multiple lives in fact. Race wouldn't be the last to be ki- infected by 2785X. 

Unfortunately, Segale also worked for a government agency and was no doubt bound by the same orders Hawk was. While Hawkins wasn't the kind of person to stand by and just let a life fade away, Segale might be. At least, when he didn't know the person. 

Segale shook his head, dark eyes falling to the desk, "I cannot help you." 

"No, but you will," Phil replied, his tone holding no room for argument. He knew the game and he wasn't playing it. One way or another they were going to get that formula. 

"You know I have my orders," Segale raised his head to glare at him. "I cannot help you, Corvin." He really was determined; too bad Phil had already made up his mind. 

"Think of the lives it could save," Dr. Quest pleaded. "If a cure is not found more people will die." 

"You think I haven't been trying to find other cures?" Dr. Segale spat. "It's not possible. I'm sorry. I _cannot_ help you!" 

"You can, you just won't," Corvin snarled, slamming his hands down on the desk. "All you have to do is give us the formula." 

"I swore to remain silent. I will not go back on my word." Segale was rather insistent. He leaned foward, hissing, "Do you know what they'll do to me if they found out I gave out the formula unauthorized?" 

"Nothing compared to what I'll do if you don't hand it over," Phil snarled in reply. The game was over. They didn't have time for this bullshit. Blue eyes met dark brown as they stared each other down. What happened when an unstoppable force struck an immovable object? Time to find out. 

Or not. A jazzy tune started playing, interrupting the staring contest as both men turned towards the source. Quest ignored them both as he answered his phone. "Jonny ...Hadji? What happened? Is everything alright?" There was a beat of silence and Quest's azure eyes widened in shock. "N-no..." The phone slipped from his fingers as he staggered back. 

Phil frowned as he retrieved the fallen device. "Corvin here, what happened?" His voice had taken on that signature commanding tone. His 'captain voice' Hawkins called it. His face darkened as he listened to the report. "We'll be there as soon as we can, Corvin out." 

He shut his eyes as he hung up, taking a deep breath as he struggled to keep his composure. Race had... No. Now was not the time. He had a mission to complete. 

Turning on his heel he leveled a death glare at Segale. "His death is on your hands Victor, and he won't be the last to die if you don't give us that formula. I will not allow another good man die because of government secrets and cover-ups." He stalked over to Segale as he spoke. Slamming his hands down on the desk he loomed over him, "Tell me what the formula is Segale, I don't want things to get ugly." 

"Y-you're out of line Director." Segale leaned back in his chair, looking up at Corvin with terrified dark eyes. He knew grief could drive one to do irrational things and his resolve was beginning to crumble in the face of such rage. 

"Does it look like I care?" Phil hissed as he came around the desk. His face was contorted into an expression of grief fueled rage. "What is the formula?" 

"I canno- rkk!" Brown eyes widened in fear when Corvin's hand closed around his throat, just shy of being tight enough to choke him. 

"You can, you just won't," Phil said in a low, dangerous calm before the storm sort of voice. His eyes strayed to the arm he held behind his back, that could very well be about to draw his gun, before looking Segale straight in the eyes. "I will not ask you again, Victor Segale. What. Is. The. Formula?" 

Not stupid enough to remain defiant in the face of such a threat, Segale raised a shaking hand to point at a painting, "In th-there!" he choked out. 

"Quest." Corvin's sharp voice snapped the older man back to reality. 

Dr. Quest made his way over to the painting of a lone pine tree overlooking a pond. Removing it from the wall revealed a safe. He case a questioning glance at Segale. 

"Eight-twenty-six-ninety-six," he rattled off the combination. "Fourth notebook in the bottom stack." There was a bitter tone in his voice, barely detectable under the fear. It had been a long time since Phil had seen someone so afraid of him. He never enjoyed it, but it was good to know he could still be so terrifying. It came in handy from time to time. 

Picking up the described journal, Dr. Quest flipped through it, scanning the pages. Confirming it had the needed information he tucked it under his arm and closed the safe. Turning he started for the door, "Let's go." 

"This never happened," Corvin growled, turning his attention back to Segale as he released him. "And you better hope, for your sake, that it's not too late to save Race." 

"Y-you said...!" 

"I let you make assumptions." Phil didn't even look back as he followed Dr. Quest out of the room. Anything else Segale might have said went ignored. 

They quickly made their way out of the large house and down the driveway to where Phil's black Dodge Charger was waiting. Car doors slammed shut and the engine roared to life. If Segale's bodyguard - where was Andrews anyway? - was stupid enough to follow, he'd never catch them now. 

The house disappeared from the rear view mirror as Dr. Quest pulled out a pocket note book. He began reading through the notes, scribbling down his own as he went. Navigating the roads, Corvin headed for the highway that'd take them back to Rockport. "You know, you had me worried when you dropped the phone like that." 

Quest was better at acting than Phil had realized. Until he spoke to Hadji, he'd been certain Race had died. Fortunately, he wasn't dead yet, but they were running out of time. If he went into cardiac arrest again... he wouldn't come back. 

"I knew you would pick up... the phone," Dr. Quest answered distractedly as he continued studying the notes. "I believed you would... have been able to use the situation to... our... advantage..." he trailed off as he wrote something down. "Race and I used a similar tactic once, he said it was something he learned from you." 

Corvin raised an eyebrow at that. When had a situation like that come up? Before he could ask, his phone started ringing. The somber yet hopeful melody was cut off as he answered, "Yeah Hawk? Yeah give me a minute." 

He set the phone on the dash as he put it on speaker. 

"I'm sure Hadji already told you, but we're running out of time," Hawkin's voice came over the line. "Do you have the formula?" 

"Yes," Corvin answered, "Doctor Quest is already working on it." 

"Good." He could just see her nodding. The creak of a chair was barely audible and he didn't need to be there to see her slumping back, drained from recent events. 

"Doctor Hawkins, I'm going to need a few more samples of Eighty-Five X." Dr. Quest looked up from the notebook. "And if you have them, a few samples of thoxaene." 

"Thoxaene? What's the spelling on that?" There was the sound of shuffling, like she was reaching for a notepad and pencil. 

Turning his attention back to the notes, Quest spelled it out.

Hawkins repeated the spelling slowly, no doubt writing it down as she did. "Alright, I'll get right on it." There was more shuffling on the other end of the line and a barely audible groan. Corvin would have asked, but he didn't have to. He knew how her bad knee could be sometimes. "I'll see you when you get here." 

"See you then," Phil replied. He glanced at the speedometer to make sure he was still going the legal speed. Despite being the head of an intelligence agency the law still applied to him. Besides, having the formula wouldn't do any good if it was lost in a flaming wreck. So he maintained the legal speed, no matter how much he wanted to say 'screw it' and let the gas pedal hit the floor. 

* * *

B-bmp, b-bmp, b-bmp. Jessie listened to the constant rhythm, afraid that at any moment it might stop. The heart monitor's beeping was a clear indicator that there was a heartbeat, but she stayed where she was with her head pressed against her father's chest. She needed to hear it for herself, to know he was still there. 

Red-rimmed emerald eyes watched Jonny as he paced back and forth, hands clenched into shaky fists. He'd been pacing ever since Hadji had left to inform Dr. Quest of the situation. Jessie should probably be trying to make a phone call of her own, but she'd given up on reaching her mother at this point. Besides, she didn't want to leave her father's side. She didn't know if he'd still be there when she got back. 

This wasn't the first time she'd come close to losing him. He was an I-One agent, danger came with the job. Sometimes she was there when it happened, sometimes she wasn't. Her mother could think what she wanted, but part of the reason Jessie preferred spending time with her father was because sometimes she was afraid it was going to be one of the times that she wasn't there that his luck would finally run out. 

Granted, being there didn't make it any easier. She felt no better now than she had when she found out about a very close brush with death after the fact. The knowledge it was simply a reality of his job didn't help either. It was just... it was what it was. 

The door opened and her gaze flicked over to Hadji as he entered. "Director Corvin says they will be here as soon as they can." 

"Corvin?" Jonny stopped pacing, turning to Hadji with a frown, "I thought you called Dad." 

"I did," Hadji replied. "Apparently my call was used in some ploy to get information from 'Baloo'. At least, it was judging by how Father reacted." 

"Do you th-think it w-worked?" Jessie hated how wobbly and borderline squeaky her voice sounded as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She wiped at her eyes, trying to regain some composure. Thank God she never got into wearing make-up, it would be all kinds of smeared by now. 

"If Father's reaction was enough to fool Director Corvin, I believe it was more than enough to deceive Baloo." 

He was probably right, given how good he was at reading people and situations. Then again, there was no way to be sure. What if it wasn't enough? What if it was too late? Jessie looked back at her father, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest and how his breath fogged up the oxygen mask. He was still alive; it wasn't over yet. They still had time. 

Before her mind could wander down the spiraling path of wondering just how much time they had there was a knock on the door frame. "I'm on break now, mind if I join you?" Dr. Hawkins asked. 

The three shook their heads and the doctor entered the room. Only now did Jessie notice her slight limp was more pronounced. The limp had been present for as long as she had known Hawins. Where it had come from or why, she didn't know. She never really asked, and as much as she craved a distraction right now she still wasn't going to. 

"I spoke with Corvin and Doctor Quest," Hawkins said as she sat in one of the chairs, "They're on their way back now." 

"Do they have the formula?" Jonny asked. 

"Yes. Doctor Quest is already working on adapting it." She nodded. Jessie gave a quiet sigh of relief. Baloo hadn't been a dead end after all. Dr. Quest could continue to work on finding the cure. There was still a chance her father would survive. 

"I will help him once they return," Hadji murmured. Jessie supposed she should help to, after all the more people working on it the faster it'd go, right? Yet she didn't want to leave her dad. Not now.

Dr. Quest and Hadji would just have to do it without her. Shouldn't be a problem really, Hadji was usually the one helping out in the lab. 

"Before you leave, I want to give you the samples Doctor Quest asked for," Hawkins said. "I imagine he will want to head straight for the lab. So you'll have to take the samples to him." 

Hadji nodded. 

"How long do you think Dad has?" Jessie asked after a long moment. Though afraid of the answer she had to ask. She already knew she wasn't getting any sleep tonight anyway. The mere thought of waking up to the sound of the flat line tone was enough to scare the exhaustion away. 

"I don't know, Jessie," Hawkins answered with a sigh. "Quite frankly I'm amazed he's still alive. Though I suppose I shouldn't be, giving how many times I've seen him refuse to die." 

Well, that was a _big_ help. 

Before her mind could begin to wander though, Hadji asked, "How long have you known Race, Doctor Hawkins?" 

"We met seventeen years ago, in Mumbai," Hawkins answered. 

That sounded vaguely familiar. Jessie frowned in thought, once again turning her attention to her dad. She saw the scar above his left eyebrow, follow its shape before curving back towards the temple. "That's where he got the scar on his forehead," she realized, looking back at Hawkins. 

"Yep. That was about ten or eleven stitches." She shook her head, "I still don't exactly know how he got that cut - or the bullet in his side and the one in his arm - but I do know that the floor of a speeding van makes a terrible operating table. Especially when Temple's driving." 

Temple, there was name Jessie hadn't heard in awhile. He'd been another I-One agent, her father's mentor. She didn't think she'd ever gotten to meet him, but somewhere in the back of her mind she felt that she had. Her father didn't talk about him often though and she hadn't asked. 

"What happened in Mumbai?" Jonny asked. Looks like Jessie was going to get the distraction she needed after all. 

"Well, you'll have to ask Corvin or Bannon for the full story, but I can tell you what I know." Hawkins answered. "I took a trip to Mumbai to visit my sister, Alisha, for the week to celebrate our birthdays..." 

* * *

With Dr. Quest and Hadji on their way to the lab, Phil was left to make the trek down the corridor to room 204 alone. He didn't mind, he was no stranger to navigating hospital hallways. It wasn't like it was hard to find either, the door was ajar allowing him to see Jonny pacing back and forth. 

When he stepped into the room Jonny stopped pacing just long enough to see who had entered. Phil didn't even noticed as his gaze was drawn to the bed. Race looked as if he was just sleeping, though the monitors and oxygen mask said otherwise. Seeing agents injured was part of the job but that never made it easier for Corvin. Especially when it was his friend lying there. 

He shut his eyes for a long moment against the onrush of emotion. _There's no time to get emotional now,_ he scolded himself, _you need to be strong for the kids_. Releasing a somewhat shaky breath, he opened his eyes. 

Jonny stopped pacing, glancing at the monitors for a moment before he mumbled, "I'm gonna go get a soda. Either of you want anything?" 

"No, thank you," Corvin replied. 

Jessie, who hadn't moved from her place sitting on the edge of the bed, shook her head. She hadn't even looked over at either of them. What her attention was focused on was hard to say, it could be the monitor or it could be something visible only to her mind's eye. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, Jonny left the room. 

Phil moved towards the bed slowly, giving Jessie plenty of time to register his approach. Once he was standing right beside her, she moved to glance up at him briefly. "How're you holding up?" he asked. 

"C-could be better," she answered, her voice trembling. She cleared her throat before asking, "What about you?" 

"I've had better days," he admitted. As much as he complained about meetings, he would have taken ten days jam packed with meetings over the events of the last day and a half. "But tomorrow's bound to be a better day." 

"What makes you say that?" Jessie looked up at him again. She was trying to be strong, putting on a mask, but he could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. 

"The cure will be found tonight, Jessie," he replied. Granted, he didn't know that for sure but with how Dr. Quest had been furiously writing in the notebook he figured 'tonight' was a safe ETA. "Which means tomorrow Race'll be on the road to recovery." 

"W-what if he doesn't last that long?" Jessie whispered, the mask crumbling entirely. She turned her head to look back at her father, but she wasn't quick enough to hide the glistening of tears in her eyes. 

"He's made it this far," Phil pointed out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "He's a fighter, he'll make it." 

Race had been through a lot of shit, the fact his blond hair had turned completely white before he was even twenty-five spoke to that. ( _He still wouldn't say how it happened, Phil honestly doubted the he even remembered the event_ ). Yet he never stayed down for long. He always came back, no matter what happened. This time would be no different. 

Or so Phil hoped. 

"He can't win every fight," Jessie mumbled as she leaned against him. 

"True, and there have been some fights he has lost," Corvin agreed with a sigh. "But when he's got something to fight for, he won't accept defeat." 

"Is-isn't that what e-everyone said about T-Temple?" she muttered bitterly, her voice beginning to tremble again. She stubbornly wiped at her eyes with a hand, seemingly determined not to cry. 

The comparison to Greg Temple wasn't entirely uncalled for. Race had learned a lot from his mentor, both in skills and personality traits. Phil was pretty sure the younger agent had always been determined and courageous, but he wouldn't be surprised if at least some of his recklessness had been learned from Temple. 

"Temple lived for the thrill of the fight, that rush of adrenaline he got. Most men outgrow that phase but he never did. He was always challenging death, looking it in the face and yelling 'catch me if you can' before running." Corvin shook his head, thinking of the day Greg hadn't run fast enough. Though it had hurt to learn of his death, he hadn't been surprised. It had been bound to happen. "Race, however, outgrew that phase a long time ago. Something changed and suddenly there was something far more important in his life than just an adrenaline rush." 

Though, make no mistake, Race was still an adrenaline junkie. Just not at the level he used to be. Grim as the thought was, Phil was pretty sure the man would be dead by now if all he had to live for was the thrill of the fight. 

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked. 

"Seventeen years ago, a little girl was born." Phil couldn't help but smile as he remembered just how excited Race had been on that day. "He had a daughter that was counting on her father to come home from every mission and he was determined not to let her down. And he still is. You may be almost grown up now, Jessie, but Race isn't going to stop fighting to survive whatever dangers life throws at him. He hasn't given up before and he certainly isn't going to now." 

* * *

A shifting mass of cells, red like the blood they had come from, met the tinted orange mass of cells that had been dropped onto the slide. The two, virus and cure, met in battle, one struggling to obliterate the other. Benton watched all of this silently, hoping the cure would come out on top. He was soon disappointed as once again the virus emerged victorious. 

Leaning back away from the microscope, he shook his head, "It's still not strong enough." 

That was the third failed attempt. 86Y was a weaker virus, therefore it didn't need as strong of a cure as 85X did. Strengthening 86Y's cure was proving more difficult than expected however. With the clock ticking down, Benton wasn't so sure they had time to simply keep trying different dosages of the ingredients until they finally got it strong enough. 

Sighing he swiveled his chair to look over at Hadji, "I don't think we'll be able to make a strong enough cure with merely thoxaene." 

"Perhaps there is a substance similar to it that is stronger," Hadji suggested as he turned to his laptop and began typing. 

Nodding in agreement, Benton carefully removed his gloves and disposed of them. Hands free, he picked up Dr. Segale's notebook. Perhaps he had discovered one such substance but had chosen not to use it. As he scanned the notes, he couldn't help but notice how Segale's handwriting had been shaky before there was a bold black streak across a few lines then the notes started again with steadier handwriting. Clearly he had been much like Benton, racing the clock to find a cure to save a loved one. He had failed, yet he had gone back to it. 

In 46 years Benton had made a great number of mistakes, but this had to be the worst. He never should have given up and now...

"Birkein," Hadji interrupted his thoughts. 

"What?" The notebook was abandoned in favor of standing and walking over to look at the laptop screen. 

"Birkein," Hadji repeated, turning to look up at him, "It is believed to be a highly concentrated form of thoxaene. Unfortunately it is very rare and will not be easy to obtain." 

"Perhaps, but it's worth a shot," Benton murmured as he read the screen. The question was, how much would they need? The ratio of thoxaene to birkein was easy enough to calculate but not knowing how much they needed of the former it was difficult to decide how much of the later they'd need. 

They didn't have time for failed attempt. If they didn't get enough then that was that. So better aim for a high estimate and hope it was enough. Though there was still the small issue of not being able to easily obtain birkein.

Small is what it was too, this problem at least had a clear solution. Birkein wouldn't be easy for them to obtain, but they knew someone who'd be able to do it easily. 

With no time to waste, he left the lab and started for the study. "What are you doing, Father?" Hadji questioned as he rushed to follow him. 

"I need to make a phone call," Benton answered. 

Bandit was waiting for them in the conference room, having been waiting by the door since he wasn't allowed anywhere near the lab. Set on his mission, Benton didn't even glance at the whining dog. He barely registered Hadji taking pity on Bandit and stopping just long enough to pick him up and bring him along. 

Though it was called the study, calling it a library would have been more appropriate. Three of the walls were made up of bookshelves. Some stretching up to the balcony that marked the second floor while those on the balcony stretched up to the ceiling. In the corner of the room was a large desk that Benton often preferred to use over the one in the lab. 

There was just something comforting about being surrounded by books with a fire roaring in the hearth a few feet away. Not that he was thinking much about the room's atmosphere as he made his way over to the desk. He pulled open the top middle drawer, rummaging through it in search of a certain slip of paper. 

Of course it had to be in the very back of the drawer. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised; he'd never had a need to use it until now. Pulling it out he read the digits written in vaguely familiar handwriting as he dialed the number. 

It rang once, a second time, finally on the third ring there was the click of the phone being picked up. "Well, Doctor Quest, I never expected you to ever call me," the voice of Jezebel Jade came over the line. 

Race didn't have time for them to play the legal game, therefore the birkein would have to be acquired illegally. Even with Corvin's help Benton knew he wouldn't be able to pull it off. Jade, however, could and she could do it so much faster than anyone he knew. 

Not that he knew many mercenaries who worked for the highest bidder, nor was he on the good side of most that he did know. It really wasn't even a matter of him being on their good side but Race. Why the bodyguard had some many exes that were mercenaries Benton didn't even want to know. He was just glad they could be called friends... well Jim was questionable. 

With no time for pleasantries he got straight to the point. "You have four hours to acquire fifty millilitres of birkein." 

He didn't know if Race had four hours, but some time would have to be spent obtaining the birkein. It probably still wasn't a realistic time frame, but Jade seemed to enjoy challenging jobs. 

"Or what?" Jade demanded. He could just imagine her eyes narrowing as he heard her unspoken declaration 'no one can just call me up and give me orders...'

"Or Race dies." He knew that would guarantee Jade's cooperation. No matter her uncertain loyalties and questionable morals, there was one thing about her that was certain: she loved Race. 

"How much did you say you needed again?" Jade's response was the equivalent of the added '...unless they have very good reason'. She didn't even mention a price, money was probably the farthest thing from her mind. 

Benton didn't know how or why a woman like Jade had allowed herself to fall for any man, nor did he know how someone like Race could fall for someone like Jade, and he didn't really care either. 


	4. Chapter 4

"So we get back to HQ and I'm mad as hell and I start going off on him for being such a stupid, love-struck idiot. About a dozen guys are watching me verbally tear him apart and Race just takes it. Keeps his mouth shut and just lets me go, he even acts like he deserves the lecture! He waits until I'm out of steam and start to storm away before he reveals he had the formula the entire time." Corvin was in the middle, or perhaps at the end, of telling a story when Hadji and Dr. Quest arrived. 

Jonny and Jessie sat on the edge of the bed, their backs to the door as they faced Corvin's chair. They seemed completely distracted by the story. When Corvin spoke next it was in a surprisingly good imitation of Race's deeper voice, "'I said she got the envelope, I never said she got the formula.'" 

Jessie snickered while Jonny asked, "So what did Jade take? I mean she would have known if the envelope was empty, right?" 

"According to Race, all Jade got was a note that said 'nice try'. He was so proud of himself, knowing his whole love-struck act had worked." Corvin shook his head with an amused smile. Someday Hadji would have to ask for the full version of the story, but right now there were far more important tasks at hand. 

It was Director Corvin that noticed them first, the amused look fading. The change in his expression prompted Jonny and Jessie to turn. "Did you find something, Dad?" Jonny asked. 

"Yes, I found the cure," Dr. Quest replied. 

"But the key component, birkein, is a quite rare substance," Hadji explained. The hope didn't fade from their eyes, instead it fueled the glint of determination. 

"So, how do we get it?" Jonny asked, tensed and ready for action. Hadji hoped the answer wouldn't disappoint him too much.

"We don't," Dr. Quest answered simply. 

"What do you mean we don't!?" Jessie demanded hotly as she shot to her feet and spun around to face him. Her emerald eyes were blazing with the same anger that lit up Race's eyes when someone tried to stop him from saving someone he cared for. "We can't just let Dad die!" 

"I have no intention of doing that, Jessica! Do you honestly think that, after everything, I would just stand by and watch him die?" Dr. Quest snarled in reply. 

Jessie recoiled in shock at the hostility in his voice, actually taking a step back like he'd spat fire at her. Even Jonny looked shocked at the anger his father displayed. Hadji couldn't deny his own surprise. He had seen Dr. Quest angry before, but usually his anger was cold and thinly veiled. This explosive anger was something Hadji had never seen from him before. 

"What do you intend to do then, Doctor?" Corvin asked. If he was surprised by the outburst, he didn't show it. 

"Call Jade," Jonny said as if it were the obvious conclusion. To him, it probably was. "Jade can get the birkein no problem." 

"Precisely," Dr. Quest replied. "She is already working on it." 

"I can't believe Dad's life is in the hands of that shady fortune hunter," Jessie muttered in despair as she sank down onto the edge of the bed. It didn't matter how long she had known Jade, her opinion hadn't changed. As far as she was concerned Jade was just some heartless woman who used Race whenever she wanted protection from whoever she was going up against. 

"Hey, Jade's saved our lives more times than I can count. She'll pull through," Jonny retorted. Indeed, Jade had saved them before, though it often aligned with her own goals. A convenient excuse for her, Hadji imagined. 

"Only because she knows she can get a high price for helping us," Jessie shot back. 

Hadji kept silent, knowing neither were fully correct or incorrect. It was hard to guess Jade's true motives, one moment she was dropping everything to help them, the next it took some convincing. The difference? Who was in danger. If it was Race then she didn't need much convincing to help them. 

Coincidence? Hadji thought not. 

It seemed he wasn't the only one to think that as Corvin said, "As much as I hate to admit it, Jade's not in this one for the money. Yeah, she might mention it in some feeble attempt to keep up the illusion she doesn't care, but if you don't have it she'll take any excuse you give her no matter how absurd." 

"What makes you so sure?" Jessie asked with a glare. 

"Well, for one, I've never see Jade willing to give her life for anyone else," Corvin shrugged. 

Jessie still didn't look convinced, but she didn't voice any more doubts. 

* * *

Three hours after Dr. Quest's phone call Jade was on a jet heading for the designated meeting place, the Quest Compound. Ordinarily she wouldn't make a home delivery, but the current circumstances were far from ordinary. Leaning back in her seat she had to wonder just what kind of trouble Bannon had gotten himself into now - and why she hadn't known about it until Quest called. She had informants for a reason dammit. Less informants now however, if they had missed something this major then they were fired. 

It had to be something major indeed for Dr. Quest to not only call her directly but to need something as rare as birkein. Pulling the vial of translucent orange liquid from her pocket, she studied it. She knew from her brief research that a related substance was used in medicine sometimes, but that gave her no clues as to what exactly had happened to Race. And she didn't like not knowing. 

The Quest Team were valuable allies, keeping tabs on them was a necessity. Which meant her informants needed to be on top of things - not dropping the ball. Though, she supposed if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. Since competent help was so hard to find. 

She tucked the vial back into her pocket as the jet flew over the grand mansion that was the Quest's home. One day she'd like to explore that mansion from the inside, maybe see how long she could hide within its walls before someone even noticed another had joined them. After all, there was no way a family of five filled all the rooms within. Yes, that'd be a fun game to play with Bannon one day. 

"I don't plan to stay long," she said to her pilot as the jet landed. The young woman nodded in response. 

A few minutes later found Jade approaching the hangar where a lone figure was waiting. As predicted, it was Dr. Quest. There was a familiar determined glint in his eyes, he didn't even seem to feel guilty about the fact he'd bypassed the law. Maybe he wasn't as strict with rules as she had previously thought. Good to know. 

"Did you get it?" The question was unnecessary - she wouldn't be here if she didn't have it - but it served as a clear message that there was no time for pleasantries. 

"Of course." She pulled the vial out of her pocket, showing it to him. She wanted to ask why he needed it, wanted to know just what had happened to Bannon. Instead she said, "This wasn't easy to get you know." 

"I know." He took the vial and tucked it into a pocket. That done, he picked up a briefcase Jade hadn't even noticed had been sitting on the ground beside him. 

She mentally chided herself for being so distracted. Another man and her temporary lack of observation skills could have gotten her into real trouble. She'd been in this business long enough to know better. Dr. Quest was no threat to her. Oh, he occasionally had a few surprises up his sleeve but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with. Besides that, he was a good man with moral. He wouldn't hurt her. 

That said, she could never let her guard down. Getting too comfortable around someone was how you got yourself in trouble, she knew that. Or worse, how you got attached. That was the last thing she needed. Caring was not an advantage; it never had been. That was something she'd learned all to well. Yet somehow she still fell into the same trap anyway. 

"Twice your normal fee, in cash as you prefer it." He held out the briefcase and she took it. She didn't need to check to know the money would be there. He may bypass the law when the situation called for it, but Dr. Quest was an honest man. 

"You know me so well," she made an effort to smile. It was only years of practice that allowed her to succeed. It was still on the tip of her tongue to ask about Bannon, but she refrained. 

Instead, she turned to head back to the jet, content to consider her job successfully completed. She had other things to tend to know. Namely figuring out just what had gone wrong with her informants. 

"He might not make it Jade," Dr. Quest called after here, interrupting her attempt at distracting herself. His unspoken question hung in the air. _Do you want to see him, so you have a chance to say goodbye?_

Turning to look back at him, she gave him one of her mysterious smiles that - for the first time ever - didn't quite mask the longing in her eyes. "He's Race Bannon, he'll make it." 

The situation must be dire indeed. Not even the birkein was enough to guarantee Ra- Bannon's survival. Just what had happened to him? She wasn't going to ask. She wasn't going to stay. She was going to get on the jet and leave. 

"Are you sure, Jade?" He gave her one last chance. 

She turned away as her smile faltered. Yes, she was sure. Race was too stubborn to die. She didn't know when, but she'd see his handsome face again. She didn't need to go see him. Didn't need to ask what happened. She continued towards the jet. Despite the doubt and worry clawing at her heart, her answer was final. 

* * *

"I take it the meeting went well?" Hawkins asked as she entered the room. She really didn't need to ask; the kids wouldn't have been in a better mood otherwise. 

"Yes, he has the birkein," Hadji confirmed with a nod, "He'll be on his way as soon as he finishes making the cure." 

"Good, the sooner the better." She took note of the monitor's readings. Bannon had been fairly stable for the last few hours, but his vital signs had resumed their slow decline. It wouldn't be long now before his body gave out on him. It was going to be a real race to see if the cure would be ready in time - pun not intended. 

Yet even if the cure worked, Bannon wouldn't be home free just yet. Recovery time aside, the cure could have a major side-effect. Would it be worth the risk? Hawkins knew her answer, but it wasn't her choice to make. 

"What is it, Hawk?" Corvin asked. Even after all this time, he could still read her like a book. 

She turned away from the monitors, looking at the teens giving her worried looks. She sighed, trying to figure out the easiest way to break the news. "The cure may have some side-effects." 

She looked over at Corvin, letting him know it affected him too. She hadn't known then, but she knew now. He understood the message, judging by how he sat up straighter. 

"What kind of side-effects?" Jonny asked. 

"Paralysis." The word left a bitter taste on her tongue. "It's a side-effect of thoxaene." 

Silence took the room as the information sank in. Hadji remained rather calm where he sat cross-legged in one of the chairs, but Hawk saw the glint of worry in his eyes. Jonny's shoulders - previously tense with worry - slumped as the realization of just what could happen dawned on him. And poor Jessie looked like a deer in the headlights. 

As Bannon's daughter the decision of whether or not to use the cure was Jessie's. What she wanted was well known, but it wasn't her own desires she had to think of but her father's as well. If he could make the choice, would he choose to risk it? 

"H-how bad would he...?" Jessie couldn't bring herself to finish the question. 

Even distraught she still had a good head on her shoulders. She knew better than to make a decision without knowing all the available information. 

Unfortunately, most of what Hawkins could tell her was hypothetical. Each individual's body reacted to things differently. A dose of thoxaene that would paralyze one man might not paralyze another. 

"It's hard to say. It could be as minor as being unable to move the toes on one foot to being completely paralyzed from the neck down," Hawkins replied honestly. "It depends on the dosage and the patient's height and weight." And even then there was still a tone of guesswork involved. The patterns to accurately predict such things hadn't been ironed out just yet. 

"Birkein is a highly concentrated form of thoxaene," Hadji murmured. 

Jonny's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Which means if we use the cure, Race will likely be..." 

"Paralyzed." Hawkins said what he couldn't. "It's not guaranteed by any means, but it is the most likely outcome." 

And this was where the conflict of desires really came in. Bannon was an I-One agent, a bodyguard, his job relied on his physical condition. Besides that, the man just could _not_ sit still. Hawk couldn't count how many times she'd caught him up and walking around when he was supposed to be recovering from an injury. He was the man of action; it was just his nature. Being paralyzed would take that from him. ( _Would likely_ break _him._ )

Would he want to be saved if it meant being paralyzed? Hawk wasn't sure she knew. Having been on the other side of it - having been forced to fight to regain the ability to walk - she knew what she would pick. Without the option to regain mobility - and without knowing the severity of it - her answer would be one Jessie wouldn't like. 

But she was not Bannon. Hawk could guess how he'd react but she had no way of knowing for sure. He might be willing to live with it, to adapt to it. She didn't know, and it wasn't her choice to make anyway. Selfish as it sounded, she was admittedly glad the choice didn't rest on her. 

"How likely?" Corvin bit the bullet and asked the question the others seemed too afraid to. 

"It's difficult to estimate, but I would say if it was just thoxaene he might have a good chance," Hawkins replied. "With birkein being a highly concentrated form, it's harder to say. And given it varies from person to person... there is no way to tell for sure." 

"I do not know how much will be put in the cure," Hadji said quietly, "But I do know Father requested fifty-millilitres. I do not think all of it will be used, but I do not know for sure." 

Hawkins frowned, "It's safe to say he will likely be paralyzed from the waist down at least." She knew that much without even looking at the equations. 

"But he might not be paralyzed at all," Corvin pointed out. Easy for him to say, he'd escaped without being paralyzed. 

Or he might be paralyzed worse. Hawkins didn't reply with that. Instead, she said, "Or it may be delayed. He could wake up fine then a week later be unable to walk. We won't know for sure." 

But a choice had to be made, and it had to be made tonight. 

Jessie finally raised her eyes to look at her, "W-we can't just let him d-die." Though her voice wavered it was clear her choice was final. 

"The cure may not even work," Hadji suddenly looked much older than seventeen as he spoke the truth everyone had been ignoring. "It has not been tested, and there will not be enough time to try something else if it doesn't work." 

"It's his only chance," Jessie murmured. She looked down at her father as her grip on his hand tightened. "We have to try." 

* * *

After Race was given the cure all there was to do was wait. Wait, like they had been doing for almost two days now. Wait, in a room silent save for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Wait, as the weight of the situation grew heavier and heavier with each moment. Jonny didn't even last thirty minutes. 

Standing, he mumbled, "I'm gonna go get some coffee." He didn't even wait for a reply before he left the room. He just had to get out of there, if only for a moment. 

Even at the late hour the hospital was buzzing with activity. Emergencies never waited for a convenient time. Somewhere in the hospital he could hear the cold tone of Hawkins' voice carrying over the activity. It was too far away to make out what she was saying, but she was definitely still on call. 

A new sound emerged in the symphony of activity and Jonny turned his head just enough to find the source of the footsteps following him. He didn't know why he bothered; it was only a moment before his dad spoke, "You don't usually drink coffee." 

"It's something to do," Jonny shrugged. "That... and I figured Doctor Hawkins would kill me if I got another soda." 

He could just feel his dad's disapproving look. "How many...?" 

"Three... maybe four." Admittedly, Jonny hadn't been keeping count. Did he really need all the caffeine? No, but it helped. At least, that's what he told himself. 

He was expecting to be scolded for his caffeine intake. Instead, there was a sigh. "I suppose it was to keep your mind from wandering?" 

Was it that obvious? It probably was, given the situation. Jonny gave a sigh of his own and nodded. He had to wonder, was his dad dealing with it to? After all, he didn't have the distraction of working on the cure anymore. 

Not that he should have had to work on it. It'd been ten years; the cure should have been already done. He spend all that time locked away in his lab working, he should have been working on that. Despite that, Jonny couldn't be mad at him. 

He'd always known his dad was brilliant, but even he had been shocked to learn about the time machine program. _A time machine_! If that didn't say " _I love her and I want her back_ " Jonny wasn't sure what would. And if his theory was right, if the reason the cure hadn't been made was because it would be too tempting to us the machine and screw with the timeline... he supposed he could understand. 

That didn't make things easier by any means, but he could understand. Or maybe he was just trying to justify things. Maybe Jonny just wanted a reason to believe there was an understandable reason the cure hadn't been made until now.

_And understandable reason if Race didn't make it. Something more than just foolishness._

The silence remained as they got their coffee. It was bitter, almost stale, nowhere near as good as the stuff back at home. Still, it was better than nothing and it did its job. It was hard to think about anything else other than the horrible flavor assaulting his taste buds. It didn't last long enough though, and soon they were on their way back to the room. 

"How long do you think it'll take to work?" Jonny finally asked, looking over at his dad. 

"I don't know son," Though the answer he'd been expecting, it wasn't the one he'd been hoping for. 

"Well... if it isn't over yet, that's a good sign right?" Just tell him it was likely to be working right now, please. He hated not having any idea. Not knowing if he fell asleep, was he going to be woken by the flat line tone? 

"I can't say for sure, Jonny. I'm sorry." Generally, he was grateful that his dad told him the truth rather than sugarcoating things, under the current circumstances though, he would have preferred the sugarcoating. Yeah, he might have spotted that it wasn't the truth, but he could have still chosen to believe it. 

"It's gotta be working though, Doctor Hawkins said his vital signs were stabilized," Jonny pointed out. Come on, give him something to work with here. 

"It's possible." That was the safe answer. He sighed, "It's all guesswork right now, son. It is possible, but I don't want you to get your hopes up." 

Jonny would have asked why, but he already knew. Because it was going to hurt like hell if, after everything, it still wasn't enough. Because if it didn't work the Quest Compound was going to feel a lot emptier, a lot colder. Because if it didn't work the lab might be locked never to open again. 

"It's going to work," Jonny said firmly, as if my sheer willpower alone he could make it work. "Race is going to make it, Dad." 

They had come too far for it not to work. Besides, his mother hadn't lasted this long but Race had, that had to mean something right? No matter what happened, no matter how impossible the situation, Race always beat the odds, this time would be no different.This time couldn't be different. 

Jonny knew the smile that came to his dad's face. One that doubtful yet tried to be optimistic. "I hope you're right, son." 

"He has to make it." Despite his stubborn claims he felt tears prick at his eyes as he confronted the reality of the situation. "Because I don't want to know what'll happen if he doesn't." 

* * *

Hours had passed and there was still no change. As grateful as she was for the reminder her father was still alive, Jessie was almost certain she was going to be hearing the beeping of the heart monitor in her nightmares. It was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. If she weren't so exhausted, she might have attempted to start a conversation just to drown out the beeping. 

Raise her gaze from the floor she looked around the room. Jonny and Hadji had given into their exhaustion some time ago, leaving them slumped against each other in their chairs. Corvin sat in another chair, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees with his hands clasped together tightly. His gaze was wandering around the room and she could only guess what he was thinking. 

Finally, her gaze landed on the last person in the room. Dr. Quest sat staring at the monitors, though his mind seemed far away. She had to wonder just where in time his thoughts were. Here, going over the possibilities? Or back then going over what happened? She had no way of knowing. 

In spite of her best efforts, her own thoughts kept turning to the future. To what would happen, what could happen. She wasn't worried about what would happen to her, she already knew. Should the worst happen, the Quest Compound's doors would always be open to her. It'd be hard to go back, knowing her dad wouldn't be there, but the mansion was more of her home than her mother's apartment. 

Telling her mother about all of this wasn't going to be fun, granted that all depended on whether or not she was even able to reach her. Jessie glared at the tile floor. One time, not even five hours after being electrocuted and damn near dying, her dad had been able to answer the phone when she'd been spooked by a nightmare. Yet, while her dad was possibly dying her mother couldn't answer the phone because she was looking at some old rocks. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jessie knew she was being petty and unfair. IT was entirely possible there was no signal in the area and her mother didn't even know she'd been trying to call. She didn't care though. The simply fact remained her dad had always been there while her mother was quite a bit harder to get a hold of. Yeah, it was probably just how things worked out rather than a deliberate choice, but that didn't change things. 

She was startled from her internal ranting when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Raising her head, she found Corvin frowning at his phone. Though the head of an intelligence agency, he had dropped pretty much everything to be here. There were some things that couldn't be pushed away until later though. One just thing must have come up because Corvin stood up and muttered, "I'll be right back." 

Jessie watched him leave the room before she glanced at Dr. Quest again. She knew he had dropped everything too. Projects he'd planned on working on, the case Corvin had come to the mansion with... all of it cast away without thought simply to work on the cure. 

She knew it hadn't been easy either, facing something he'd tried to bury in the past. Perhaps she should be upset with him, upset he'd never finished working on the cure until now. 

How couldn't she be though? In the last two days he had done everything he could to find the cure. ( _That, and if the worst happened he'd actually be there, unlike her mother._ ) Even going so far as to contact Jade of all people. While Jessie didn't think the shady fortune hunter was a reliable ally, she couldn't deny the fact he'd willingly chosen to bypass the law. 

And to think she and Jonny had been worried - however briefly - that he would be disappointed in them for breaking the law by hacking into the hospital's computer system. Granted she hadn't cared if he'd be disappointed - what were they supposed to do, just stand by an do nothing? Hell no!

This wasn't surprising either. Or it shouldn't have been. She knew how Dr. Quest was. When his family was threatened, he was a force to be reckoned with. It had taken her a little while to get used to it at first, but she knew she and her father were part of that family. 

And yet despite knowing that, she had accused him of being willing to standby and do nothing. Willing to just let the cure slip through his fingers. Yes, it had been a knee-jerk reaction but... she should have known better. She did know better. 

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, finally breaking the silence. 

"Sorry?" Dr. Quest gave her a confused frown, "Whatever for?" 

"Earlier," she lowered her gaze, "For suggesting you'd let Dad die. I know you better than that." 

Hearing the soft scrape of plastic against tile, she looked up to see Dr. Quest had stood up. He came to sit beside her, and she leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright Jessie. Given the circumstances, you made a logical conclusion." 

No, she hadn't. She'd jumped to conclusions ignoring the evidence to the contrary. It hadn't been 'logical' by any means. 

"Besides, I should be the one apologizing," he murmured, "I shouldn't have snapped at you." 

"It's been a long few days for all of us," she mumbled in reply, brushing off the apology. Jessie would admit she had been shocked when he'd snapped at her. It was the first time she had heard such anger and venom in his voice. Still, it had been well deserved, unlike the apology. 

"Indeed it has," he sighed. He sounded as tired as she felt.

She still couldn't sleep though, not even if she wanted to. There was too much bouncing around in her brain, too many possibilities to consider. In all honestly, she wasn't sure what scared her more: the possibility her father might never wake, or the possibility he might be paralyzed. 

"D-do you th-thi-nk..." Jessie began, stopping when her voice cracked. Swallowing hard, she tried again, "D-do you think he... he'll h-ha-hate m-me?" She looked up at Dr. Quest, afraid of what the answer might be.

Losing him, though not a foreign idea to her, would hurt. It would hurt _so_ much. Bur so would being hated. She knew he would hate being paralyzed. Losing mobility would take so much from him. And it would be her fault. She made the choice, whatever happened as a result was her responsibility. And the thought he might resent her for what she chose weighed heavily on her. 

"Race? Hate you?" Dr. Quest's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "He's your father, Jessie. He could never hate you; you know that." 

"But if he... ends up p-para-lyzed it... it'll be m-my fault." She was struggling to keep her voice steady. "I m-made the... the choice..." 

Really it was the only choice she could have made. The idea of having the cure and not using it never crossed her mind. But she was so afraid of how her dad would react. 

"Yes, you did," Dr. Quest acknowledged. He hugged her tighter. "And yes, he could end up paralyzed as a result, but he won't hate you for it. He'll understand your reasons and even in the unlikely event he doesn't understand, he could never hate you. Race loves you, Jessica. He always will, no matter what happens." 

His voice was firm but gentle as he spoke, each word filled was certainty. She supposed he was right. Her dad might hate the situation, but not her. There might be times where it felt like he did, but he wouldn't hate her. Not if Dr. Quest was so certain of it. He never lied, if he wasn't sure he would have said so. 

Finally, she nodded. 

Corvin chose that moment to poke his head into the room, "Doctor Quest, may I speak with you for a moment?" 

Dr. Quest hesitated, glancing at her. She nodded, pulling away. She'd be okay. She watched him leave the room, wondering what Corvin wanted. There hadn't been any urgency in his voice so it was probably nothing major. 

She hardly registered leaning over until her head was resting against her father's chest. Her eye lids felt heavy, the hospital room blinking in and out of darkness. As she drifted off, she could have sworn she saw a blond woman leaving the room. 

* * *

Corvin had finally gone home, leaving Benton the only one awake in the room. There really was nothing left to do but wait. In the morning Race would either be dead, making him the eighth to be killed by the virus, or he would start to recover as the first to ever survive. The clock was un-readable in the dimly lit room but Benton didn't need to see what time it was. The witching hour had come, bringing with it the demon he could no longer keep at bay. 

The story of the virus's creation was one few knew, admittedly Benton hadn't even known the full story until years after his wife's death. Yet still it was a story that haunted him on the nights his mind wandered the darkest of paths. How could something meant to be so wonderful, meant to heal, be used so terribly to cause such pain? 

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. It was a story as old as time itself. A creation misused, being twisted until it was unrecognizable. He knew, despite what the guilt told him, he was not responsible for what the virus had been used for. 

He was, however, very much responsible for the lack of cure. He should have continued his work all those years ago. He should have focused all his energy on the cure rather than trying to bury it in the past. Instead, he'd tried to bury it in the past. 

Now here he was, facing the consequences of his actions. He while he would lose a lot - a close friend and the trust of those who had been counting on him - he knew he was not the one paying the ultimate price. No, it was Race that'd have to pay that price. 

Others would pay too. Losing their father, friend, brother, lover. So many people hurt by one stupid selfish mistake and the life lost as a result. 

"I'm sorry," Benton rasped, voice breaking the silence as the emotions finally took over. The softly glowing monitors became mere dots of light as tears blurred his vision. "I'm s-sorry, Race... I was st-stupid and self-selfish a-and now y-you're pa-paying the pr-price..." He shook his head. "I'm s-sorry Race... I'm _s-so_ sorry..." 

It was a basic fact, if a scientist let his emotions get in the way of his work then no advancements would ever be made. And yet that's exactly what he'd done. Oh, Benton had been making discoveries left and right after Rachel died - he'd worked to escape his emotions - but he hadn't worked on the one thing that would have truly made a difference. 

Instead he'd just buried it in the past, forgetting about the future. He'd ignored that other lives would be lost, that the virus could find his family again. God if it hadn't been for Race, he would have also ignored his son. Ignored the fact that there was a world outside the lab, light outside the dark spiral of working himself to death. 

And this was how his friend was repaid. Karma striking him down to punish the fool that had let six others die. It wasn't fair, Race deserved better than that. 

It should have been him, dammit. He should be the one lying there dying not Race. He should be the one to suffer. It was his mistake that caused all of this. _That killed Rachel and might kill Race._ His naivety twenty-side years ago and his selfishness ten years ago were the cause of all of this. Why were others being punished for his mistakes?!

Leaning foward, he buried his face in his hands. "I c-can't..." he whispered brokenly. "I ca-can't do th-this again... I ca-can't... Race pl-please... we can't... I ca-can't lose s-someone to this d-damn vi-virus ag-again..." 

He thought he might have heard his name whispered in the darkness. It was so quiet he wasn't sure he'd really heard anything at all. Whether or not he'd actually heard anything he'd never know but the trembling hand on his arm was very real. His head shot up and though his vision was blurred by tears he still saw tired ice blue eyes looking at him. The unspoken message clear as day. 

_You won't._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter ended up being delayed. I changed something in one of the earlier scenes that meant I had to change some things in this chapter. Add in general 2020 craziness and... yeah. (This chapter also ended up being shorter bc the first two scenes ended up being added to the end of Chapter 4).

Race blinked awake, becoming aware of the soft murmur of voices. One was instantly recognizable as Jessie's while the other... Was that Hawk? It was. What was she...? The hospital, he was in the hospital. But why? 

He vaguely remembered waking in a dark room, Benton's voice - trembling with emotion - saying something about how he couldn't lose someone else to a virus. The memory was distant and blurry though, it was hard to tell what exactly had been said. Admittedly, Race wasn't sure if it actually happened or if it was only a dream. 

His last clear memory was of the conference room at the Quest Compound. Phil had been telling them about strange occurrences in a temple... somewhere. Race had been feeling a little dizzy, something he'd chalked up to fatigue as he hadn't slept well the night before. He must've passed out at some point.

He'd worry about what exactly happened later, right now he needed to get his bearings. He was still in the hospital, that much was obvious. Hawkins' presence aside he could hear a heart monitor and he could feel the oxygen mask. He always hated those stupid things. With a shaking, slightly uncoordinated hand, he reached for the mask. 

"Wha-?" He heard a startled gasp then a smaller hand was grabbing his own. "No, Dad, you need to leave it alone." It was only then he realized Jessie was sitting right there on the edge of the bed. How had he not noticed she was that close? 

"Off," he grumbled in reply, fighting to free his hand from her grasp. Giving up on that - when had she become so strong? Or was he just that weak at the moment? - he used his other hand. 

"Just let him take it off, Jessie," Hawkins sighed as she appeared behind her. "He'll just keep trying otherwise." Despite her attempts at sounding annoyed Race saw relief in her dark eyes. "Though, those do serve a purpose you know." 

Yeah, being damn annoying. With Jessie no longer restraining his hand, he used it to flip off the doctor. "Dad!" Jessie gave an offended gasp on Hawk's behalf, and grabbed his hand again to make him stop. Hawkins said nothing, she only gave him an unimpressed look. 

Finally getting the mask off, he let it drop to wherever the hell it landed. "W-What happened?" he rasped. His voice sounded weak and hoarse even to his own ears. "Why 'm I in th' hospital?" 

"Don't worry about it now," Jessie answered. Looking at her, he could see tears in her eyes despite the relief written on her face. "All that matters now is that you're going to be okay." 

"She's right." Hawk nodded. "Right now, you need to rest and regain your strength." 

Deciding the hazy memory was real, he mumbled, "Benton mentioned somethin' 'bout a virus." 

"Yeah, you were really sick," Jonny murmured, "But like Jessie said, you're gonna be okay, Race." 

Turning his head, Race found Jonny and Hadji standing on the other side of the bed. They both looked just as relieved as Jessie - despite the fact Jonny looked as if he'd just woken up. Behind them, Race could see their father passed out in a chair. 

Given his brief memory of Benton's emotional rambling the night before and the kids' relieved looks, Race got the sense that while he was okay now he hadn't been a little while ago. Wait, how long had he been in the hospital? 

"How long... have I been here?" he asked, struggling to keep his eyes open. Why was he so tired? He just woke up! This wasn't fair. 

"Don't worry about it, Dad," Jessie replied, "You need to rest. Everything will be explained later." 

"Jess..." he grumbled. He didn't want to rest, he wanted answers. He hated it when people put off answering questions, even if they had their reasons. Though not the case in this current situation, information was often vital and Race hated it when it was difficult to get. 

His own body seemed to be betraying him however as he felt his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. If there was anything he was known for it was being stubborn. He refused to close his eyes. He wanted answers dammit, not rest. 

"Go to sleep," Hawkins ordered. When she spoke next her voice was softer, perhaps even understanding. "I know you have a lot of questions but it'll do no good to explain everything now if you fall asleep halfway through it." 

He would have narrowed his eyes at her, but that was dangerously close to closing them and if he did that then odds were sleep would claim him no matter what he wanted. He hated it when she was right. 

Hawkins seemed to get the message as the corner of her mouth quirked upwards in a brief smile. Well, at least someone was getting amusement from this. 

Jessie finally released his hand so she could lean down to hug him. "I love you, Dad," she murmured. 

In spite of his annoyance at the situation he couldn't help but smile as he always did when he heard those words. "Love you, Jess," he mumbled in reply.

Finally, despite his best efforts, he lost the battle. He had no choice but to let sleep take him. 

* * *

Jessie sat on the edge of the bed, alone since Dr. Quest and the boys had left to get something to eat. It had taken a bit of arguing on her part, but she'd stayed behind with the promise to get something later. 

It had been a day since her father had woken up. All that day he'd wake for a few minutes at a time until exhaustion would re-take him. Every time he'd asked what happened, every time they put off telling him. He finally got his answers earlier today though, when he'd managed to stay awake for an hour. 

He now knew the story. The virus, what it had done in the past, the battle to find the cure, he knew all of it... except perhaps the most important detail of all. 

There was no denying the pure relief Jessie felt knowing her father was going to live and yet that relief was tarnished by dread. What if the cure did paralyze him? Would he want to live with that? 

She still couldn't shake the fear that he'd resent her for the choice she made. Yes, she trusted Dr. Quest knew enough to be fairly accurate with his assessment of how her father would react, but the fear still would not leave her. 

She was startled from her thoughts when she heard the door open. Looking over, she saw Corvin. "How's it going, Jessie?" he asked. 

"He was awake for an hour earlier," she reported. 

"And I missed it," he sighed. Now that Jessie thought about it, Corvin hadn't been there a single time her father and woken. 

Actually, this was the first time she'd seen him since they'd gotten the cure. It would have struck her as odd that he'd all but vanished, but she vaguely recalled Dr. Hawkins saying she would call him. And with the knowledge that the cure had worked she supposed he couldn't justify dropping everything at I-One anymore. 

"He's starting to stay awake for longer though, you should catch him eventually," she shrugged. She was quiet for a moment, then she murmured, "We told him about the virus." 

Corvin nodded, face unreadable. After a moment he asked, "Did you tell him what the cure could do?" 

Jessie hesitated, then shook her head. She'd been planning to, but had chickened out at the last moment. She just wasn't ready. She supposed she'd never be ready, but he was going to have to find out one way or another. 

"You're going to have to tell him, Jessie," Corvin sighed. "Or, if you don't, someone els-"

"No." She shook her head. She would love to push the burden on to someone else, but it had been her choice. The choice had been hers alone - though she didn't doubt the others would have made the same decision - it was her responsibility to break the news. She raised her gaze to meet Corvin's, "I have to do it. I made the choice. I have to be the one to tell Dad." 

"Tell me what?" She jumped at the sound of her father's voice. How long had he been awake? She looked over at him and her face must have said it all. He frowned, slowly sitting up. 

His uneasy look turned to a glare and Jessie glanced behind her in time to see Corvin close his mouth. Right, they probably shouldn't be letting him sit up just yet. Yeah... she wasn't going to try and stop him. 

"What is it Jessie?" Her father's gentle tone wasn't making things easier. 

She wasn't ready, but now she didn't have a choice. "The cure could have some side-effects." 

"Like what?" he asked. She recognized that tone; he was uneasy but trying not to show it. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know the answer. 

She couldn't look at him as she mumbled the answer, her voice barely audible. _Don't start crying, don't start crying..._ she silently repeated that phrase to herself as she felt tears prick at her eyes. 

"What? I didn't hear you, Jessie." 

"P-paralysis," she finally managed to say. She swallowed hard, managing to keep her composure long enough to say, "The cure can cause paralysis." 

"W-what?" he rasped. She didn't look at him. She didn't want to see how his expression changed as the information sank in. 

"It's not guaranteed by any mean," Corvin said, "But it is a possibility." 

_A likely one_ , she couldn't bring herself to say. Jessie kept her gaze on the floor, refusing to raise her head. Her vision was starting to blur as the silence stretched. 

Finally, the question was uttered, "How bad?" 

She shut her eyes, unable to bring herself to answer. 

After a moment Corvin replied, "We don't know. Hawk's best estimate is it'd be from the waist down." 

The silence was heavy, almost suffocating as she waited to hear his response. Jessie was too afraid to raise her head, too afraid of what she might see. 

"Damn." The word almost sounded alien coming from her father. He rarely swore around her and the boys. 

After that the silence continued to stretch, growing heavier, until finally she had to speak. "I had to give the okay." Her voice had started trembling, giving away the tears she'd been fighting to hold back. She raised her head to look at him, though her blurry vision didn't let her see much. He had to understand she didn't know what she'd do if he didn't. "Y-you were d-dying and it wa-was the only op-option a-and..." 

"I know, Jessie," he cut her off gently. "You made the right choice." 

She all but sobbed in relief at the gentle understanding in his voice. She'd been so scared... And yet she couldn't shake the fear it wouldn't last. 

"C'mere Panchita." She didn't resist as she was pulled into a hug. She didn't even notice Corvin had left the room as she buried her face in her father's shoulder. It was quiet for a moment, her sniffling the only sound in the room. Then he finally spoke, "I would have made the same choice you did, Jess. Even if I become paralyzed I'll at least be alive to adapt to it. I wouldn't be able to do anything if I was dead. You made the right choice, okay?" 

It took her a long moment to find her voice, but finally she murmured, "Okay." 

* * *

_He can feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. He doesn't even feel human. He's a crippled shell of a man, left alive though his body was all but dead. He was surrounded by machinery, functioning in the place of organs his brain could no longer send commands to._ "Race?" _It was terrifying. He tries to move anything, anything at all. His right hand twitches but nothing more._ "Race?" _He's not even sure his terror's showing on his face. He can't even feel the lower half of his face, when he speaks it's just a raspy robotic sound - the work of another machine. And the voice isn't even his own._ "Can you hear me Race?" _His eyes dart around the room as the panic sets in. He's more machine than man. He can't even move. He's helpless, useless, completely and totally..._

"Roger!" Startled from the horrid memory, Race looked around. Where? The hospital, right. He wasn't alone either. Looking up he found Phil giving him a concerned frown. "Are you alright?" 

"Fine," Race muttered, lowering his eyes in the hopes Phil wouldn't see the remnants of terror. "I'm fine." 

It was evening by now; the kids and Benton had gone home at Race's insistence. Now that he knew the full story of what happened while he was out, he had a pretty good idea of what all four of them had been doing those few days. He understood why they had been reluctant to leave, but he would be fine now. They needed to go home and get some decent rest. 

And, though he was questioning it now, he'd needed time alone. Time to think, to come to terms with what might happen. If he'd known that particular memory was going to come back though, he probably would have relented and let the others stay.

"You don't look fine." The observation was accompanied by the sound of plastic scraping against tile as Phil pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. "What's on your mind?" 

"Nothing, Phil. It's nothing." Race shook his head. He'd never told anyone how scared he'd been that day, and he certainly wasn't going to change that now. 

He ignored the unconvinced look at Corvin asked, "What's the verdict?" 

"Not paralyzed... yet," Race sighed. "Hawk says it could just be delayed. If it doesn't happen within the week then odds are I'm in the clear." 

He shook his head, shoving the horrible memory aside. He wasn't going back to that. Even if he did end up paralyzed Hawkins was fairly certain it'd just be from the waist down. Not exactly an ideal condition, but it was worlds better than what _that_ had been. 

"You'll be fine, Race." He wished he could share Phil's confidence. 

It seemed not even his usual optimism could overcome this. Yeah, it was possible he would come out of this unscathed - hell that's what he was hoping for - but he could also end up paralyzed. If he did then it would be the end of his life as he knew it. He wouldn't be able to do his job. He wouldn't be able to keep up with the kids or the chaos of life with the Quest Team. He wouldn't be able to protect them. 

Being beyond paralyzed - more machine than man - hadn't been the worst part of that memory. Oh, it had been bad, but not as bad as seeing Jonny in danger and not being able to do anything. Protecting those kids was his job. It was his job as a bodyguard and as a father. If he couldn't do that... what use was he? 

"Stop it," Phil snapped suddenly. 

"Stop what?" Race gave him a confused look. He hadn't been doing anything had he?

"You won't be useless," he stated firmly. How had he...? "I know you Race. I know what you're thinking." 

Now it was Race's turn to look unconvinced. Though he was aware that about two years ago Corvin had fallen ill with a deadly and supposedly highly contagious virus. Now he knew it wasn't highly contagious but highly confidential. It had all been a cover-up so no one knew the had of Intelligence One was dying from 2786Y until the cure had been found. 

Judging by Hawk's thinly veiled bitterness and anger when telling him about the cure and Phil's reaction to it however, they hadn't know about the side-effects at the time. Therefore how could Phil really know what he was thinking? It wasn't like he was in this position. 

"You're wondering how you can still do your job. How you can keep up with the kids and Doctor Quest, how you can continue to live your life if it ends up changed so drastically. You feel like you'll be useless, which is far from the truth." Damn. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said he knew what he was thinking. "You're focusing on what you won't be able to do instead of how you can adapt." 

Race considered this for a moment before asking, "Did you become a mind reader or something?" 

Phil chuckled, "No. Wouldn't do me any good anyway with that thick skull of yours." 

"Pretty sure your head's harder than mine." Race replied. 

"I beg to differ," Phil answered. 

Before he could protest, another memory from that day of horror came to mind. Though, this memory was far from horrible. 

"Did you really injure your hand punching me?" Race asked as he looked at Dr. Quest's bandaged hand. When he nodded Race shook his head slightly. He just couldn't believe it...

Race couldn't help the amused grin that came to his face as he remembered a few months later he had been sparring with the Doc, teaching him alternate ways to punch so he wouldn't injure himself. 

"What?" Phil asked, he must have noticed the amusement wasn't from their banter. 

"Nothin'," Race shook his head, "Just remembering something." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah. Who would have ever thought I would've had to teach Doc to punch me without injuring himself?" He shook his head again with a quiet chuckle. 

Though clearly not understanding the link between what they had been talking about and the memory Phil said, "Something tells me there's quite a story behind that." 

"Remember Jeremiah Surd?" Race asked. 

Like that, all traces of amusement were gone. "Only too well," Phil grimaced. 

"One time he captured me 'n' Jonny. He used some kind of mind transfer VR program to swap bodies with me. He tried to use my body to kill Doctor Quest. What he hadn't expected was that Doc would fight back or Hadji would hit me - him - over the head with a barrel." Race rubbed the back of his head as he spoke, remembering the killer headache that'd turned out to be a concussion a few hours later. Hadji had felt so guilty about that, though Race hadn't blamed the kid for what he did. Hell, he was proud of him. 

Now Phil saw the connection to their conversation. "And while he was in your place, you..." 

"Was in his," Race confirmed quietly. "I couldn't move. I was just a broken shell." 

After a while he'd managed to move Surd's right hand. It had taken a lot of concentration and effort; Surd must've practiced for years to do it as effortlessly as he seemed to. Yet even once Race discovered some part of him could still move it hadn't made things any less terrifying. 

"You do know it won't be the same right?" Phil asked. 

"I know," Race nodded. "But I'll still be..." 

"Please tell me you aren't going to say 'useless'," he interrupted. 

"...Paralyzed," Race finished, shooting a glare at him. "I'll still be paralyzed. And you're right, I'm not sure I'll still be able to do my job, Phil." 

"You'll find a way Race," Phil said. "You always find a way. You'll adapt. You fight with more than just your legs after all. You'll still have your hands, arms, and head." 

That said, a fist fight would still be very difficult, if not impossible. Though, there were ways around fist fights. He couldn't count on that though. 

Before he could dwell on it too much, Phil added, "Besides, you don't shoot a gun with your feet, Race." 

He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, "No, I guess not." 

"And I'm sure there's still a lot you can teach the kids," Phil continued. 

"And tell them to stay put for once - not that they'd listen." If anything, Jonny's reckless streak was probably going to get worse. 

"You taught them too well," Phil snickered, earning a glare from Race. 

"Did not," he protested. Though he knew damn well they hadn't learned it from Benton. 

"Oh yeah?" Phil raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? Those kids take after you a lot you know. Did you hear what they did?" He leaned forward, lowering his voice, "They took matters into their own hands and hacked the hospital system to find answers." 

"What makes you think they didn't learn that from Doctor Quest?" Race replied. It sounded like something Benton would do. 

"Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't have done it if you'd been able to," Phil challenged. 

"I wouldn't have," Race answered with one hundred percent honesty. "Because I would have been with you and Doc getting answers from 'Baloo'." 

Phil opened his mouth to protest only to shut it again when he realized Race was right. After a long moment he finally said, "That's a loophole and you know it." 

Race grinned in response, "But it works." 

The glare lasted all of five seconds before Phil started laughing. It was only a moment before Race joined him. 

At least, whatever happened, there would still be moments like this. At least, Race hoped so. 


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Hadji stood beside the workbench, waiting with a notepad at the ready. He and Dr. Quest had been working for a few hours now, trying to make a cure for 87Z. Given it was the weakest of the three viruses the challenge was not making a cure that would work, but a cure with the minimal amount of thoxaene. 

They had started by intentionally making a cure that was too weak then slowly increasing the thoxaene dosage. Currently their forth attempt was going to battle against the virus. It was only a few moments before Dr. Quest leaned back from the microscope. His grin was more than enough to report the results, "We've done it." 

Hadji grinned in reply as he marked the final formula as sucessful. "Now we just need to send the report to Director Corvin?" And by 'we' he really meant 'you'. For as much as he was allowed to do in the lab now, writing reports and sending them still fell to Dr. Quest. Not that Hadji was complaining. He would have to learn to write government reports in time, but for now he was content to leave it to his father. 

"Yes," Dr. Quest nodded. He stood and began to carefully put away the samples of the virus and cure. If relief had been visible it would have been seen coming off of him in waves. Not that he could be blamed. 

Hadji turned to add to his personal notes and stopped when he saw one of the notes made on the first day. The date of the virus's creation and the lab at which it had been created. Things from Dr. Quest's old notes that hadn't made sense at the time. He frowned, glancing over at his father. He supposed now was as good a time as any to ask. 

"Doctor Quest, may I ask you something?" Admittedly he wasn't sure about asking. The return of Virus 2785X had brought up painful memories, and this question may do the same. He knew though, if he didn't ask, it would become one of those questions that would always haunt him. 

"Of course, Hadji," Dr. Quest turned to him. There was a hint of concern in his eyes. 

"When I read your notes on the virus, I found the date of its creation and the name of the lab where it was created," Hadji explained. He saw his father's face fall but he knew he couldn't back out now. "How did you know those things?" 

Dr. Quest sighed as he leaned against the workbench. "When I was in university, I shared a dorm room with another young scientist, Yang. We were working to create the ultimate cure - an impossible task I admit, but at the time we were young and thought we could do anything. It would have been an end to terminal illnesses, such as the one killing his father..." He trailed off, eyes distant, and Hadji knew what was coming next. 

"You created the virus," he murmured, eyes wide in shock. OF all the possibilities that had crossed his mind, this was not one of them. 

It didn't change his opinion of his father in the slightest, but it was still shocking. Yet it explained everything. Failing to save his wife was painful enough, but failing to save his wife from something he'd helped create... no wonder he'd tried to bury it so deep in the past. 

"It was an accident," Dr. Quest murmured, shaking his head. "Something had gone wrong in our calculations. We agreed to destroy it. He went to take care of the samples in the lab while I took care of the notes in our dorm room. The lab caught fire - some say it was an accident, others say it was arson - Yang died in the blaze." 

"But the virus survived," Hadji concluded. Not that there had been any doubt, the last few days had proved the virus still existed. 

"I believe the thief started the fire," he said, something in his gaze hardening. 

Hadji suspected there was no question about it. A fire would have disguised the theft and the evidence of the thief being there in the first place. Not only that, it bought plenty of time for the other two viruses to be created and unleashed on the world. Time that would have spent hiding and running without the fire covering their tracks. 

But if the thief had known about the virus, then surely, they had known who had created it. Why dare use it on someone close to Dr. Quest since it would show the virus hadn't been destroyed in the first place? 

Unless that had been the point. Perhaps he knew exactly who the thief had been. Which brought another question to Hadji's mind. 

Dr. Quest would never remember, but Hadji knew of the existence of Project Rachel. The time stream had fixed itself after their adventure to stop Rage, resolving the created paradox, but Hadji's memories remained intact. He remembered the recorded message, how Dr. Quest realized he could save his wife. 

With the reveal of the virus as the cause of Mrs. Quest's death, Hadji had assumed his father meant creating the cure then going back in time. Now he wondered if stopping the fire had been what he meant. Ensuring the virus was destroyed before it could ever cause such harm. 

Hadji supposed he'd never know.

* * *

That afternoon, Phil managed to time one of his visits when the rest of the team was there as well. Race was pretty sure it was the first time he'd seen all five of them in the same room since he'd woken up. 

"How's the situation at the temple?" he asked. It'd be a few days before he was released - if things continued to go well, which he firmly believed they would - but it was time to start directing attention to the major task ahead. "Has anything changed?" 

"Estella's still the only one at the temple," Phil answered.

"And the Zins?" Dr. Quest asked. 

Ignoring the cries of " _Zin?_ " from the kids - had no one caught them up to speed? - Phil replied, "Quiet, thankfully. Estella was also quiet for awhile. She wasn't able to report in until yesterday." 

"Why?" Race asked. He knew even if the area Estella was in had bad signal she would have just made trips to a place with signal to report in. If she had stopped reporting in then something must have happened. Hopefully nothing more than a technological error. 

"She didn't give me the details. All she told me was that she had been delayed by the statues," Phil replied. 

"Delayed?" Benton frowned. 

"Yes, apparently the statues are becoming more aggressive." He shook his head. 

"Is she hurt?" Race demanded, sitting up straighter. They should have been at that temple by now, but no that virus had to interfere. If Estella was hurt...

"She's fine." Corvin was quick to bring a halt to Race's internal rant. "The statues won't leave the temple. She's safe at camp which is where she'll stay until the five of you are able to join her." 

"Which, if things continue to go as they are, will be soon," Hawkins said, drawing attention to herself. How had she entered the room without him seeing here? Race was facing the door; he should have seen her come in. "You should be on her way to join Velasquez by the end of the week." 

The end of the week wasn't soon enough. Estella was always determined when it came to getting answers. As much as she loathed danger and having a more adventurous lifestyle, she might not stay out of the temple if she thought she found something important. And that wasn't even taking into account the fact that the daughters of Zin might be involved. 

Besides all that, things may not continue to go well. Race didn't want to admit it, but the possibility he could be paralyzed hadn't gone away. If that happened... Estella couldn't wait forever. 

As if reading his mind, Phil reluctantly said, "If things don't go well, I can send another team." 

Race was half surprised that another team hadn't been sent already. Then again, the Quest Team had the most experience with the Zin Twins. Another team might end up making things worse. 

"No," Benton shook his head. "We'll still go." 

"Without Race?" Jonny questioned as if he couldn't believe it. Jessie and Hadji also looked shocked at the statement. What the kids didn't know was the night before they had discussed it. It was something neither of them wanted to think about, but had to prepare for regardless.

Phil frowned, clearly considering something. It seemed he didn't like that idea anymore than Race did. "I can send another agent with you," he offered after a moment. Some back up incase things went south. 

"No." Race shook his head. "You heard Hawk; I'll be out of here in a few days." 

And if not... Benton and the kids could take care of themselves. Or perhaps Race was just being too hopeful. After all, if the Zins were involved it might be best if the team had some backup. Then again, who was better prepared to deal with them than the Quest Team? 

"You should probably send another agent with them regardless," Hawkins remarked, though there was a lightness to her tone that suggested she was joking. Nodding in Race's direction she said, "This one gets into too much trouble on his own." 

Race shot her a mock glare to which she smirked. 

"Maybe," Phil agreed with a laugh. 

"Nah, we can keep an eye on him," Jonny answered with a playful grin. Just whose side was that kid on anyway? 

Hawk chuckled and Race crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sitting right here." Despite the words, he was fighting back a grin.

"Wouldn't be any fun to tease you if you weren't," Benton pointed out in reply. Really? Even Doc was siding against him? Don't tell him Jessie was also going to turn against him. 

He glanced over at her, noticing she didn't seem to have any interest in joining in. Jessie was a glaring a hole in the floor. "Mom's probably wondering where we are," she mumbled bitterly, shattering the light-hearted moment. 

"Estella's fully aware of what happened," Phil answered, teasing glint fading from his eyes. "The first thing she asked about was Race's condition." 

"Really?" Jessie sounded as if she didn't believe it. Had something happened between her and her mother? 

With a confused frown Race asked, "Is something wrong, Jess?" 

"No. It's nothing Dad," she replied, shaking her head. And he knew by that tone he wasn't going to get much more of an answer unless he really pushed it. 

Jonny looked as if he was about to say something, but a sharp glare from Jessie kept him from doing so. Something had definitely happened then, something he knew about. Race didn't want to go behind her back and get answers from Jonny, but it was good to know the option was there - just in case. 

Though Race suspected he already had a pretty good idea as to what it was.

* * *

Benton stood up slowly, grimacing slightly when his lower back protested the movement. He'd been kneeling for too long as he packed some scientific equipment. He had a feeling it might be necessary and, even if it wasn't, he had a few side projects he wanted to work on. With the crate packed and shut, he turned his attention to the smaller case sitting on the workbench. The case would hold the more fragile items. He began to carefully put in each instrument neatly laid out beside it. 

Hearing approaching footsteps, he turned just enough to watch as Race entered the lab and picked up the crate. There was a single sign of illness or fatigue as he carried the crate out of the lab. 

Though Hawkins had released him early and he seemed perfectly fine, Benton couldn't shake the worry it wouldn't last. Granted if Race did become paralyzed there were several options as far as mechanical devices went but it wouldn't be the same. Honestly it wasn't the paralysis that worried Benton, but how Race would react to it. 

He'd seen how the bodyguard reacted to injuries that impaired his mobility. It frustrated him and some days he was almost unbearable. (Benton was quite certain it was during some of these times that swear words had been added to Jonny's vocabulary). 

Except this time there would be no wound to heal. No - physical - healing from the paralysis. Still, despite the difficulties there would be in adapting to it, at least Race would be alive. 

Sighing, Benton glanced over at the old family photo on his desk, his late wife's face frozen in a smile. That same smile he'd fallen in love with the moment he'd first seen it. A smile he still missed to this day. 

He felt a sharp stab of pain. Rachel could have still be here, if he'd found the cure back then. Or if he hadn't been so foolish and naive in the past then the virus wouldn't have even existed. One way or another, her death was on his hands. Shutting his eyes, he buried his face in a hand as he bowed his head and once again silently apologized for failing her. 

"Are you alright, Doc?" Race's voice startled him; he hadn't heard him come back in. 

"I'm fine," he answered quickly, returning to packing the case. He knew he wasn't convincing in the slightest but he hoped it would be left at that. 

The silence that followed said otherwise. It was the kind of silence that meant Race was thinking of how to proceed. He had something to say, the question was how to say it. Though when he spoke again, Benton was caught off guard. "I saw her."

"What?" He finally turned to look at him, finding Race's gaze on the photo. 

"I don't remember much," he admitted, voice still quiet, "But I remember seeing her there. I don't think we talked long, but she had a message for you." 

He finally looked at him and Benton felt a chill run down his spine. Race was probably the least spiritual of them all, yet there was something in his eyes that tone he had seen something. Not that Benton though he'd make up something like this, but it was unusual to say the least. 

"She wanted to know she never blamed you for what happened. It wasn't your fault. And she wanted you to know she still loves you, she always will." Yeah, that sounded like the kind of message she'd want to send. She was wrong though. She never knew, would never know, but it had been his fault. 

Benton looked away, staring hard at the closed case when he began to tear up. "It was my fault," he rasped after a long moment. 

"No, Benton, it wasn't," Race said firmly, resting a hand on his shoulder. 

"Yes, it was. I know who created the virus. I was there, Race. I tried, but I couldn't stop him. Hell, I ended up helping him without knowing it," Benton confessed as he raised his azure eyes to look up at Race. After a moment he shut his eyes and shook his head. "I thought after what happened in Cairo it was finally over, that he was finally gone. I though the virus would never be used again... I was wrong." 

"You mean..." Race asked, ice blue eyes widening in surprise as he hardly dared to believe it. 

"Doctor Zin." Benton nodded miserably. "He isn't dead." 

"We don't know that for sure," Race replied. "There's no doubt he left everything to those kids of his. It could have been them." 

That was a possibility, but that begged the question as to why Race had been infected. Why only him and not them all? Why now? No, it hadn't been Anaya and Melana's doing.

Benton shook his head, "You were infected for the same reason Rachel was. It's a message, it's always been a messenger for him. 'I'm not dead'." 

"Which means..." Race trailed off as the realization set in. 

Benton nodded, voice grim as he confirmed, "He's back." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are. Episode one posted at long last. I learned a few things from this, which should make posting Ep 2 go smoother. Speaking of, it will be awhile before Episode 2 is ready. I'm going to get it done as fast as I can though.  
> Anyway, let me know what you thought of Ep 1! (Also I love hiding little references in my fics, let me know how many you caught!)


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